Pilot Of Glory
by Alex Beckett
Summary: JJ has absolutely everything she could ever want in her life. Nothing can break her. Nothing. So, what happens when all that she knows is turned completely upside down after one phone call?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own only what I make up. This story is inspired by some scenes in the Hamelin episode. **

* * *

_"Though my soul may be set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light. I have loved the stars too truly to be fearful of the night." —Sarah Williams_

* * *

After spending her entire adult life in the FBI, Jennifer Alexandra Jareau LaMontagne was no longer the shy girl she had been while growing up in East Allegheny, Pennsylvania. She was older. She was wiser. She was stronger. Overall, JJ was much better than she had been, back then. She was proud of herself on this account.

JJ was also proud of her family. For all the horrors and terrors of the world, she had also seen the wonders and the beauties, too. Like the three people she got to come home to at night. Will, her partner in crime and in life, and Henry and Michael, their joys. Their miracles. She would never have enough words to describe how dearly she loved her husband and her children. JJ was an FBI agent, yes, but she was a wife and mother first. Always.

JJ loved her life, and everything and everyone in it.

* * *

But ever since her mother had come for a visit and they'd had their heart-to-heart chat, it was as if a fog had been lifted from her eyes. Hearing Sandy say, "I'm proud of you," had also helped. That, and the road trip to get lobster. JJ was now seeing life in a new way. She loved it.

So did Will. The change in his wife had already inspired him to want to be a better person, too. He had loved JJ from the first day they met, and he would keep loving her until the day he died. That love would remain every day in between. He and JJ had been through more than most people could fathom, but neither of them would change a day about how they had gotten to where they were in the present.

To that end, it wasn't long after Sandy's visit that he and JJ sat down to examine their lives. Everything was perfect.

Henry was remarkably bright, and even in the gifted program at school. He excelled in everything he did. Michael, meanwhile, was constantly on the move and obsessed with anything related to soccer. His biggest recent success was that he now knew how to kick a soccer ball in a straight line without tripping over his feet. He was also a sucker for cuddling whenever an opportunity arose. But at least once a day, he and Henry could be found looking at books together, enjoying each other's company.

The LaMontagne brothers were perfect in their parents' eyes.

But JJ would be remiss to leave Will or herself out of the list of achievers in the family. Both had been promoted at work. He was now a sergeant, and she was officially Emily's partner. Both were in leadership roles. Both were the happiest they'd ever been at their jobs.

The lives of the LaMontagnes were perfect.

But both JJ and Will felt like something was missing. Or… _someone._

After a long discussion, they decided to try for one last baby. To round things out. If it didn't work, it didn't work, but they were choosing to remain positive. They were hoping for the last puzzle piece that would make their family whole.

And trying was always fun.

Yes, everything was perfect for JJ. How did she know that one conversation was going to turn it all upside down?

* * *

Emily sat at her desk. Different case files were open on it because she and JJ were about to discuss the last legs of paperwork in regard to the team's most recent case, concerning a long distance serial killer in California. Her tablet was also on with its kickstand open and keyboard at the ready—she had been reading a report while she waited for her partner to come join her from the bullpen. But she couldn't focus.

Coincidentally, it was because of JJ.

Something was off-kilter about her. This was her first day back after being knocked out of commission (strep throat from Henry, as well as a double ear infection, courtesy of Michael), but JJ was just... different. Emily couldn't figure it out, and that bothered her. Some profiler she was.

Understandably, Emily practically jumped out her skin when she heard an incoming Skype call on her tablet. Her surprise quickly grew to confusion when she was presented with a picture of her best friend's husband. She knew immediately that this was going to be a long day.

But she was very fast to answer him.

"Will, is everything okay? Are you hurt?"

The man spoke with zero preamble. "We're friends, right? And not just because you treat me, JJ, and the boys like your own blood?"

She was immediately visited by the memory of saving her friend from blowing up. They had been bonded for life after that.

"I should hope so." Emily finally said. "Is there something you need help with? Just say the word, and I've got your back."

"Good," approved Will. "I was just given a case that's right up the BAU's alley."

Emily sat up straighter. "What is it?"

"It's a big thing, but my CO gave me the go-ahead to invite in whomever I want. Your team was my first thought."

"Thank you. I take it that you're approaching me before JJ because I'm the team leader?"

Curiously, Will grew nervous. "I also don't want her to kick my butt."

Emily just grew more perplexed than ever. "What the h—"

She was interrupted by JJ finally arriving and closing the door behind her. "Em, who are you talking to?"

"Your husband."

"What?"

JJ dashed across the room, and around to Emily's side of the desk. Worry filled her. Will never called Emily while they were at work.

"Babe, what's wrong?" she asked him.

"I'm fine." Will said soothingly. "I was just telling Emily that we have a case here at MPD that we could really use the team's help on."

"He even invited us in already." Emily told JJ. "The only thing is, Will hasn't told me what the case is."

JJ backed up a smidge, now that she knew her husband wasn't hurt. It was time to put her game face on.

"What do you have?" she pressed.

Will took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. It was only going to get worse and weirder from here.

"We were handed The Yarn Children case."

JJ and Emily both stared—neither of them had been expecting that. But who would?

Recently, there had been a curious number of 'incidents' where small children were being abducted from crowded places. Nobody had any idea who was behind it.

Some children were brought back within twenty-four hours, each of them with an identifying marker—a length of yarn tied around the left wrist. They were always dropped off at a place to legally surrender a child, meaning that someone up the long ladder had a conscience. The biggest hurdle was that each of the returned children were too traumatized to want to talk about what they'd been through. And none of their parents were willing to risk further damage. That was understandable.

The darker side was that there were still a small handful of missing children who had yet to be located at all. There were only cold clues there.

The BAU and the MPD were aware of the quiet disaster, but had been sidelined because of procedural and jurisdiction issues. What had happened to change things?

JJ broke the silence. "How did you get this case? Everything's been happening over in Chevy Chase, Friendship Heights, Wakefield, and Tenleytown. _Your_ HQ is in Capitold Hill."

"You're both going to want to sit down."

His tone sound foreboding, so JJ and Emily wasted no time in sitting side-by-side on the sofa in the far corner of the room. They looked to the tablet screen when they were situated.

Will spoke directly to Emily. "We got this case—and the clues, notes, and information—handed to us about an hour ago because… one of the Yarn Children showed up here."

"What? Really?"

"Oh, yes."

"Where is this child?"

Will moved his own tablet back to reveal a toddler girl cuddled up to him. She was fast asleep and covering her face with one hand, like she was trying to protect herself. Something had happened to her. Something bad.

JJ's heart did a funny flip as she took in the sight of this child. "What color is her yarn?"

"Purple, and it's on her left wrist." Will reported. "I'd show you, but she's got her while arm tucked between her body and mine. You know how kids do that."

Henry and Michael both practiced this move when in a deep sleep. JJ had seen it many times.

Emily chimed in, "I'm not discounting that this little girl has a connection to what's been happening in West D.C., but I'm just going to put the reminder on the table that every kid who has been returned has has _yellow_ yarn, on the _righthand_ wrist."

She knew these details because they'd crossed her desk when she and JJ had examined the case file before ultimately turning it away. Will had been informed because the case had been dumped in his lap.

"That's right, but her yarn is purple because I think she's along the lines of a chosen one." Will turned to JJ now. "You with us?"

She nodded to show her husband that she was paying attention. "Yes. Why?"

"I know who this kid is."

JJ's 'funny feeling' increased. "Who?"

"Cher, this is Olivia."

Just hearing this name caused JJ's heart to take an express elevator to the floor. This was not happening.

She held a hand over her heart. "But this means—"

Will nodded. "Yep."

"And with her here, _they'll_ turn up."

"Two for two."

JJ willed herself not to vomit. Staying present was more important than ever. Plus, Emily was looking from one LaMontagne to the other, utterly perplexed.

"Who brought her in?" she wanted to know.

Will grew a little squirrelly. "If I had a Bible handy, I'd swear on it—your _mother_ brought Olivia in."

"What?!" JJ squawked.

"It's true. Sandy is here, JJ." Will confirmed. "She hasn't said why she's even in D.C., but she said that she had an errand just down the block, so she decided to surprise me."

JJ rubbed her temples. "And what? My mom 'bumped' into Olivia on the way in?"

"Yes."

"Does she know who Olivia's mother is?"

"No."

The panic surged through JJ all over again. "We both know that my mom is her own kind of sleuth, but she _will_ figure out the truth about Olivia. Things would go haywire if they _completely _came to a head."

Will winced—the next piece of information was another part if why he had contacted Emily first. He needed a witness to the emotion that his words were about to invoke in his wife.

"Batten down the hatches," was all he could say.

JJ's panic turned to anger, to rage, to confusion.

"William Isaac Jesse!" she barked. "You can't be serious!"

Will had the decency to look sheepish. "I am, cher, and I'm sorry. I really am."

JJ heard him, but simply moved to the floor to block him out completely. Was this real?

Emily looked to Will yet again. "What just happened?"

"Calm her down and call me back." Will said patiently. "It's okay. She'll tell you what's up."

"Alright, Will. I trust you."

They signed off, and Emily set the tablet aside.

Her life had never been quiet since the first day she'd met JJ. She truly was the sister that she had waited an entire lifetime for. Everything about their bond was why they were in the most active lead positions of the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Nobody could ever dispute that.

Yet, both JJ and Will had some kind of earth-shattering secret shared between them. Emily didn't even feel excluded. If anything, she had never felt more confused in her life. After over ten years of close friendship, watching her best friend become completely unglued because of one Skype call was new.

It was uncharted territory.

JJ was curled up in a ball on the floor now. It sounded like she was practicing some breathing exercises.

Emily spoke gently to her. "Jayje, do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head and gave a muffled, "No."

"Well, you need to breathe." Emily sat a box of tissues from her desk in front of her friend. "And I imagine that you want to wipe your face."

JJ was completely quiet a beat, thinking it over. The longer she laid on the floor, the longer Emily had no idea about this particular closet skeleton of hers. It was fair. Emily didn't deserve to be dragged into the mess. She deserved to keep her life separate from all this.

But that plan had been shot clean out of the water by Olivia's appearance in D.C., and by Will's call. Now the whole team was going to know in an hour.

And… if she and Will had actually been successful at making their sons a playmate, JJ owed it to the kid to get things as under control as she could.

She finally came to the conclusion that sitting up wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"There you go." Emily rubbed JJ's back as she moved into a sitting position. "Take these now."

She moved the tissues closer. What had she gotten herself into?

Emily didn't speak again until JJ was cleaned up, and breathing without feeling like she was going to burst into tears.

"What was all that about?" Emily continued to rub JJ's back. "I've seen you through _all_ kinds of things, physically and emotionally, but I don't think I've ever seen you fall apart like that before."

JJ sighed. "Because you haven't."

"Then who could have _that_ much power over your emotions?"

Emily recalled the emotional struggle that JJ had once had about her torturer, Tivan Iskari, but much like the man in question, that whole ordeal had been done and over with for a few years. Closure had been won. JJ had moved on.

What could _possibly_ be left?

JJ looked her best friend square in the eyes. "Em, do you really want to know?"

"I do." she said honestly.

"You really want to know who could do _all_ of that to me?"

Emily nodded. "Yes, please. Who?"

"My father."


	2. Chapter 2

There was a ringing silence as Emily processed JJ's words.

She had never even heard her mention her father until the case that had brought the team to East Allegheny. Her mother, plenty of times, but never her father. Emily had never asked about the man, so it was on her for not knowing, but she'd always assumed that the Jareau patriarch was a sore subject. The events of the last fifteen minutes had confirmed this.

What startled Emily the most was that even though they had learned about JJ's dad when they'd gone to Pennsylvania, they had never learned what had become of him. Was he dead or was he alive? JJ hadn't even said his _name. _She had always just referred to him as, "my dad." How badly had he messed her up? Where did he live now?

Emily looked to JJ, and promptly felt her heart melt. Her partner was regarding her with an expression she had never seen of her before. At t least directed towards her.

It was gentle. Soft.

Childlike.

JJ was waiting for her to speak.

"Your dad?" Emily finally said.

"Yes." JJ confirmed as her voice wavered. "He's the only person left in the world who has this power over me—to make me bottom out in the blink of an eye—although my poor mom is liable to reach_ 'nuclear meltdown' _levels when they see each other."

Something clocked into place for Emily as she caught the underlying tone of her friend's tone. "You're a child of divorce, aren't you?"

"Uh-huh, and my parents fought for a few years before my sister died. I guess her death was the last straw." JJ sighed heavily. "I woke up one day to find my mom weeping inconsolably, and my dad… oh…"

JJ shivered as the memories came flooding back. She rubbed at her eyes as tears fell from them, hot and fast. It had been a long time since she'd talked about any of this. Even with Will. The last time they'd addressed it, they ended up making Michael.

Softly, Emily said, "He didn't hurt your mom, did he?"

"Not physically. He had a temper back then, and a way with words, but he would never raise a hand to anyone."

"That's a relief." (Emily had already been trying to imagine being a buffer between JJ's parents) "What's his name?"

"I kid you not, it's Clifford."

"Like the big red dog?"

"Yep. When I was a kid, I used to think that that was cool because I loved those books. I practically worshipped the ground he walked on. He was my daddy, and I was his little girl."

JJ rubbed her eyes again. "He was my hero until that last day."

"What happened?" Emily asked cautiously.

"I ran out of the house to find my dad packing his car. When he saw me, he looked surprised."

"Why?"

"He'd been trying to leave without telling me_ goodbye."_

Emily's heart sank with sorrow. "Oh, JJ…"

She did her best to control her breathing. "He told me that it wasn't my fault, and that I had to look after my mom. Then he just… left. He didn't even hug me."

"Did you ever see him again, or hear from him again after that?"

"No. I've never been able to forgive him on that account."

Emily had a wonderful relationship with her own dad, so she chose her next words carefully. "I'm sorry that he dropped out of your life like that. It was wrong."

JJ nodded in agreement. "My mom raised me as a single mother after that, and I stayed in that house until I earned a soccer scholarship so I could go to college. I never went to East Allegheny again until this job took us there."

"Anything else you want to share?"

The blonde made a 'hmph' sound. "Is there ever. Emily, I have another sister, and a_ brother."_

Emily's heart rose in shock. _"Pardon?"_

"It's true."

Now Emily was curious. "What are their names?"

"My brother is called August, and my sister is named Katherine. Are you mad that I never mentioned them?"

"No." Emily answered honestly. "August and Katherine have been your secrets to keep. I like their names, though."

"So do I. Besides being a month of the year, August means magnificent, and Katherine means pure."

"How long have you known about them?"

JJ staved off her tears again. "Since 2013—my dad called my mom about a year or so after the divorce to tell her that he and his new wife had had twins. A boy and a girl."

Emily winced. "I can't imagine that pleased Sandy."

"It definitely didn't, but my dad said he was telling her because he wanted me to know. There was just a stipulation to the mix."

"How's that?"

"I wan't to be told about August and Katherine until their eighteenth birthday, which was in 2013. That's when they were told about _me_ because those were the wishes of my dad and his wife. If they know about _Roslyn, _I imagine that that's when they learned about her.

"I'm sorry." Emily offered.

JJ merely sighed. "My mom was just so guilt-ridden and in tears when she sat me down to tell me everything that I didn't even have it in me to be mad at her."

"Just at your dad?"

"Mhm. Hell would have to freeze over before I come around to forgiving him for abandoning me, and for depriving me of two more siblings for the better part of two decades."

Emily steered her away from getting snarky. "Have you met August and Katherine?"

JJ bobbed her head. "They both visited me separately when they were in their early twenties."

"What are they like?"

"August is very smart, and loves a good adventure." JJ said fondly. "He also hikes out in the desert. For fun."

"Where's a spot he likes best?"

"Joshua Tree, out in California. August also knows everything under the sun about animals—which explains why he grew up to be a zookeeper."

"That's awesome, and not an occupation you hear every day."

"His wife, Aurora, is a zookeeper at the same zoo."

"How long have they been married?"

"Six years now. They have a three-year-old named Lucy, and she's going to be a big sister." JJ said warmly. "Then there's Katherine…"

Just as quickly, her tone changed and became vacant again.

"My sister's husband was in the Marines. He died last month, just after he returned from leave—it was a roadside bomb in Afghanistan."

She shuddered as she remembered her own experience.

"His name was Philemon. They got married after graduation, and lived around the world because of his postings."

"Is Olivia their first child?"

"She's their _only_ child." JJ lamented.

Emily rubbed her friend's shoulder. "Then do you have any idea what would bring Katherine to D.C.?"

"No, and with what's happening, my dad will be on his way here with his wife."

"What's her name?"

"Hannah." said JJ. "I only know _that_ because Katherine told me so when she came to visit."

"I see."

"We were talking about names in general because she was newly pregnant with Olivia. I was pregnant with Michael, but I didn't know yet." JJ's expression became vacant again. "Ask me the question you haven't asked me yet."

Emily jumped. She'd been so reeled in by what JJ was telling her that she'd forgotten about an inquiry she'd been waiting to ask. As always, her partner read her like a book.

"Right." she coughed, centering herself. "Where do the other Jareaus live now?"

"In the heart of Baltimore. They've been there this whole damn time."

"You mean since your dad left?"

"Correct. Baltimore is only an hour away, and D.C. has been my home since I graduated. It was everything I could do to not recoil when Katherine availed me of this, too."

Emily patted JJ's shoulder again. "I'll bet. What happened when you told Will?"

"I wept." JJ pointed to Emily's tablet. "But he's told us that two of our family members are in town. One escaped something, and the other is still gone. Now my mom is here? Dad will show up because he loves Katherine more than me. That's just the way it is. Hannah will come because Katherine is her daughter. This all going to be Armageddon. The only normal ones will be August and Aurora.

JJ practiced her breathing techniques again but they didn't seem to be working.

"Emily," her voice broke down. "I'm seriously freaked out. I don't know what to do."

"Come here, Jayje." Emily pulled her into a hug. "I've got you now, and it's okay to cry if you want. Go ahead."

JJ cried.

Emily consoled her.

They just sat together on the floor. It didn't even matter that they were in the workplace. What mattered was that there was a sad soul in need of a place to land. Emily was the safe haven. That would never change.

When JJ was cried out, Emily stood and pulled her partner to her feet.

"Are you good?" she asked as they straightened themselves out.

"Yeah." JJ blew her nose on a tissue. "Thanks, Em."

"Of course. How about we call your husband back?"

"Okay—"

JJ's full reply became suspended when there was knock at the door. She opened it to reveal Rossi.

"Hey." she greeted her friend. "What's up?"

The old man opened his mouth, but promptly shut it at the sight of JJ's watery eyes and Emily's concerned look. He cared for both women as much as he cared for his own daughter, and whenever he heard about any of the three of them feeling sad, he always moved mountains to make things right. It looked like this was going to be another one those times.

JJ beckoned to him. "Come in."

Emily nodded. "We have some things to share."

"So do I." Rossi replied as he closed the door behind him. "Why don't you two go first?"

They tag-teamed in telling him everything. By the end, Rossi was at a loss for words.

Emily put her hands on her hips when she realized what Rossi's train of thought was. "That's your 'Oh, shoot—I have to choose my words carefully!' look. Talk."

"Will called me. He said he called you, but maybe you missed him?" (Emily gave herself a mental kick when she saw that her phone had cut out, and scrambled to charge it) "He told me that he couldn't say why just yet, but his captain is asking us to go to Capitol Hill. The word also was that the two of you would fill in on the details."

JJ pinched the bridge of her nose. "Great. This means that _all_ of you will be treated to _more_ of my insane family drama."

"I know you well enough to know that you can stay objective, but try not to overdo it when your parents turn up." Emily told her. "And I'm not just saying that because this is your first day back from getting over that terrible cold you caught from the kids."

"Your message is heard and received. I'll be along in a minute."

Emily and Rossi just stared after her as she left to primp herself up again.

Emily didn't even have to look at her mentor immediately to see that he was amused about something.

"You notice anything different about JJ?" Emily asked him.

Rossi's eyes twinkled with laughter. "It has been a spell since you've been with your sharpshooter. Are you sure that it's not just your brain getting used to her company again?"

"I also happen to know her like the back of my hand, but right now, I'm stumped."

_"I'm_ sitting on this until she confirms it somehow, but the last time that our dear JJ was carrying herself the way that she is now, she was carrying Michael."

Emily's heart this time did a cartwheel as she remembered JJ's first pregnancy. She had some rather comical memories of that.

Could it be?

"Oh, my God…" Emily murmured.

"There it is." Rossi chuckled. "Let's go round up the team. JJ will come to us when she's ready."

Agreeing, Emily departed her office with Rossi to collect Penelope, Spencer, Tara, Luke, and Matt. What a day this was going to be.

* * *

JJ had locked herself in one the single-unit bathrooms just down the hallway. She was glad of the privacy.

How on earth could her mother and her sister _both_ be in town? Had she missed a memo? She wasn't sure.

At the very least, she was excited to see August again. There was no way that he would stand by while his own twin was in peril. He was going to be showing up before long. Maybe JJ would meet his family this time.

That little glint of hope was still not enough to quash out any hard feelings about her next concern.

From what little JJ could really recall of her father, he had always had a tendency to flock to a loved one in danger. Which meant that he was absolutely on his way, too. Him. His wife. Hannah.

On top of everything else, JJ's own mother was already so far into the equation that she didn't know how to get her out.

Both of her parents were even going to be in the same room together for the first time since that fateful day. Thank heavens the team was going to be there this time.

And Will.

The love of her life.

Her partner.

Her husband.

Her steadfast rock.

They'd been through hell and back together many a time. This would just be one more.

All JJ wanted right then was to forget about the world while she was at home with Will, making love to him. Was that so bad a thing to want?

After what felt like an eternity, JJ took some steadying breaths and washed her face.

"Get it together, Jennifer." she said aloud. "Emily, Dave, Spencer, Penelope, Tara, Luke, and Matt are your family, too. They love you. They'll support you."

With this new self-confidence, JJ finished cleaning herself up and left for the conference room.

"You're just in time." Emily praised her as she took her spot at the table. "I've caught the team up now."

JJ immediately realized from Emily's tone and her colleagues' over-kind looks that she was holding something back.

With a lot of effort, JJ refrained from rolling her eyes. "But…?"

"I didn't name names, but they all have a general idea that we're going to be digging into your life again."

"Okay."

JJ looked around the table. Emily and Rossi already knew the details, but Spencer, Penelope, Tara, Luke, and Matt were watching her expectantly. Curious.

"Where do I start? I'm a child of divorce, and I haven't seen my father since I was eleven—I'm not sure I even remember too much about him anymore because that's _also_ around the time she stopped talking to me altogether." JJ laughed, but only because it would keep from crying. "My father's name is Clifford Jareau, and he has a wife now called Hannah. They met about a year after the divorce, and guess what, everyone? I have a brother and a sister—twins—both of whom I never know about until 2013! Why? Because my dad and Hannah _wanted _it that way!"

JJ paused to take stock of the others' reactions at this point. They were all staring openly because none of them had ever heard this manic, sarcastic tilt from her before. It was very jarring.

This response encouraged JJ to keep going.

"My brother is called August, and my sister's name is Katherine. They're twenty-five now. A not-so-fun fact is that my poor sister is a war widow."

"Have you met August and Katherine before?" Penelope asked.

"Yes, but not at the same time, and both meetings were brief. They were shy back then. I like them, though, and they like me. We even exchange cards during the holidays."

"That's wonderful progress." Matt offered. "My kids are buddies with each other, and I'm very close with my own brother and sister."

"It's always been enough that I have all of you." Rossi said. "But since we're bearing our souls, this is the part where I say that I'm an only child."

"I'm also an only child." Emily added. "That has, however, never stopped me from thinking of the rest of you as the family I've always wanted."

Spencer chimed in, "That makes me the third only child in this room. On the matter of a family structure, however, that's exactly the relationship that the eight of us have together. Although... Rossi is more like the father figure."

"I can back you on that play." Emily confirmed.

Penelope jumped in before things devolved too fast. "Even with taking in the events of recent times, I will forever be close to all of my stepbrothers."

Tara's tone was also one of reflection. "I've been working on mending my relationship with my brother. We're even friends again."

Luke rounded things out. "I'm the third of seven siblings, but even at that, all of us have been close. Shoot—my favorite sister just moved to town. Her name is Bex."

JJ smiled, in spite of her spitfire-type mood. Her friends were just trying to cheer her up.

"I love my siblings, and they're extremely kind people. All I want to do is hug them both." JJ sighed heavily. "Emily mentioned that the Yarn Child was brought in by a witness, right?"

Penelope, Spencer, Tara, Luke, and Matt nodded.

"The child in question is my precious niece, Olivia. Her mother is Katherine. The witness is _my_ own dear mother."

"What?" Spencer sputtered. "But the odds of that are…"

Penelope picked up where he left off, also surprised. "Astronomical…"

"It's all hands on deck when the Wonder Twins are stumped." Tara quipped to JJ. "Emily also told us about the Skype call, and the color of Olivia's yarn. I'm with you to the end, just like always, and I'm even down for working with Will, but I can hear it in your voice that there's one last piece of information that you're bursting to share. Is that correct?"

JJ nodded. "It is."

"I'm saying this as your friend, but please pace yourself."

In good faith, JJ made a show of exhaling. "My mom is in Capitol Hill because she was going to surprise me and just ended up seeing Will first, Olivia is in Capitol Hill, Katherine is… elsewhere, and we'll be seeing August and his family before the day is out. That's just for starters. Add to the mix my parents being in the same _building _for the first time since I was eleven, and we have World War Three."

"Because you're worried about them freaking out." Matt sympathized. "Where did your dad go after Pennsylvania? It sounds like they're close by."

JJ sneered, "They've been in Baltimore, and I've been in D.C. for my _entire_ FBI career."

"But your dad never said a word?"

"Not once!"

Matt rose from the table and walked up to his friend. He could see that she was fighting every instinct to not get worked up again, so he spoke very calmly. Having a soothing voice was a handy trait.

"I'm sorry that your old man made those unkind choices. We all are." he told her. "The rest of the team and I know that you're indestructible, and that you _always_ overcome any obstacle thrown at you. We _are _going to get to the bottom of this, JJ, and we've got your back for as long as it takes because we _are_ a family. You're the glue that keeps us together."

JJ almost burst into tears on the spot because of how kind Matt's words were, but she hugged him.

JJ even looked up at him with the look of an adoring sibling. "Thank you. All of that was incredibly sweet, Matt."

He have her arm a gentle squeeze. "Feel better now?"

"I do."

Nearby, Emily stood, pleased that JJ was no longer weepy.

She moved along the table to Penelope. "How fast can you pack a technology go bag?"

Penelope gathered her things and stood. "I can be ready in ten minutes."

"How many minutes will it take if you have help?"

"Five."

Emily made a herding motion with her arms. "Off we go, Garcia. I have a special mission for you."

The others dispersed after that, to get their jackets. In-town cases meant traveling light.

Spencer caught up with JJ by her desk.

"I'm sure people are going to asking you a lot," he said gently. "But how are you doing?"

The inquiry made JJ feel vulnerable. "I keep wanting this to be a dream so I can go back to how things were yesterday—normal."

"Jennifer, absolutely _nothing_ about your about your extraordinary life has ever been even _close_ to normal."

"That's one way to put it. It's definitely comforting to know that you understand this drama about my mom and dad."

Spencer easily recalled the BAU case that had involved both of his parents—who just so happened to be divorced from each other. "I understand it all _too _well. What can I do for you?"

"Same as you've done every day for the past fifteen years: just be my brother. I really need that right now."

Spencer grinned at her. "Okay. I can do that."

"Thank you, Spence."

As they had gotten ready before the rest of the team, they boarded the elevator together and left for the area of the building were whatever travel vehicles needed from the motor pool were requisitioned out. Everyone would appreciate the initiative.

Spencer decided to bring up something more cheerful.

"How are my godsons doing?" he wanted to know. "Is Michael still tripping over his feet when he kicks a soccer ball?"

JJ laughed her first true amused laugh for the first time all morning. "No, thank heavens, because that always confused him and made him cry. Michael has the coordination down pat. There's a new problem now."

"Dare I ask what?"

"He doesn't understand what the _goal_ is for. Michael is good at kicking the ball, but that's _all_ he wants to do."

Spencer laughed, too. "Yikes. Do you think he'll ever come around?"

"My fingers are crossed for yes because we're hoping to put him in a league when he's older. Right now, Michael cries if I try to give him any direction when he _has_ the ball."

"Things will even out. Both of your boys are super bright."

JJ perked up at this last word. "Speaking of bright, Henry is going to take an advanced placement test at school."

"Oh, really? For what?"

"Math!" JJ lifted an eyebrow at him. "He's been skating circles around everyone in his class because he finds it all so easy, and it's because of your years of tutoring and indulgence, you know. Remember the time that Henry dressed up as you for Halloween?"

Spencer smiled at the memory. "I could never forget."

"He's loved numbers ever since then."

"When's his test?"

"Two days. If he passes, he's going to be moved from sixth grade math to eighth grade advanced algebra."

"In a little more time," Spencer mused. "Henry could probably even do high school math and be done before he even _gets_ to ninth grade."

"Especially if his godfather comes around to the house to help him out." JJ said in a half-pleading tone. "Please?"

"Oh, boy. Is he nervous?"

_"Very._ We're good at math, but Will and I find ourselves out of our depth when Henry starts rambling about Einstein's theory of relativity. I saw him reading _The World As I See It_ yesterday."

"Wow." remarked Spencer. "That's my favorite Einstein book."

"I guess Henry remembered that. What's _more_ shocking is that he was reading it aloud to Michael, and _he_ seemed to be listening." JJ ran her fingers through her hair. "Spence, do you think Will and I have two kid geniuses on our hands?"

"I think you just might. Are they into anything else… _unusual?"_

"Michael solved Henry's Rubik's Cube this morning. Twice."

This really impressed Spencer. "Woah, really?"

"Yep. We're not sure where he got it from, but I bet he'd be dazzled if he could show Uncle Spencer his new trick."

"Then I _have _to see it. Last time I came over, however, Michael fell asleep in my arms in five minutes."

"Because he loves you." JJ winked.

Spencer made a humming noise. "How do you think Michael would be if I started introducing him to geometry?"

"Easy, killer." JJ straightened out a fold in Spencer's shirt collar. "My baby boy still falls asleep at the dining table if he's had a full day."

"Actually, Jennifer, geometry comes in all kinds of forms that even Michael could get the hang of right now. He's on the right track with the Rubik's Cube."

"Oh, really?" JJ said in interested tone. "Will you tell me more?"

"Certainly!"

Spencer only ever called JJ by her actual name when he was extremely excited, or else concerned about her, so she could only smile more as he gave her a rambling but informative lecture about the benefits of math and cognitive development in small children. Telling him that mathematics had been one of her majors at school could wait.

For now, Spencer was just being her brother.

And she appreciated that.


	3. Chapter 3

JJ and Spencer both requestioned cars under their names, and just as JJ had thought, the initiative was well-received by the rest of the team. At least one thing was going right.

Rossi, Penelope, Luke, and Tara headed out with Spencer. They were gone in less than five minutes.

Meanwhile, though JJ trusted herself to remain objective, she already knew that she didn't trust herself behind the wheel of a car. There were just too many thoughts tumbling around in her head. So she handed the keys to Matt. He took them without question.

What surprised JJ was that Emily didn't get into the front passenger seat. Instead, she pulled her aside.

"JJ, I trust you with my life, and I love you dearly. " Emily said softly. "You know that, don't you?"

She nodded. "Emily, I _always_ know that."

"Then you _would_ tell me if you knew anything else about this case?"

"We both know that because of Paris, I would never lie to you or hide anything from you." JJ said seriously.

This was a solid truth. Emily knew of JJ's miscarriage, and JJ knew of Emily's abortion. How _those_ secrets had come to be told was another story altogether. What both women knew for sure was that after today, there would never be any secrets between them again.

Emily put a hand on JJ's shoulder. "Then _is_ there anything else?"

"No." JJ said sincerely. "What are you getting at?"

"Something's different about you, partner, and I've been trying to figure it out all morning."

Emily was no fool, and had remarkable observational skills, even for an investigator. She also knew JJ incredibly well. Of course it would stand to reason that she would notice a change in the way that her righthand person was behaving. Emily was like a human version of a bloodhound; she could always suss out something being hidden. There was _no_ lying to her.

JJ took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Em, I—"

She was cut off by Matt walking up to them.

"Are you two ready to go?" he asked innocently.

JJ sighed, knowing that if Matt's interruption was any indication, it was going to be a _long_ while before she could share her suspicions about herself with her partner. How she wished to be back in bed.

"Yep. We're both ready to go." she told him. "Got everything you need?"

"Yes." Matt opened the back door of the car for her. "Let's roll."

To JJ's further surprise, Emily still didn't take the shotgun seat when they got into the SUV. This was her usual spot when she wasn't driving. She just sat in the back with JJ and held her hand. If JJ couldn't say just yet what was on her mind, the least Emily could do was give her a hand to hold. They were in for a long day.

* * *

When they were in the building where the station house was, JJ led the team to the bullpen—she knew the place well because of Will's years of service at the Metropolitan Police Department. He'd never served anywhere else while they'd lived in D.C. together. Plus, JJ would visit him at work from time to time.

They were greeted by Will and his partner, one Sergeant Primrose King. The LaMontagnes were both friends with her because she even had kids the same age as hers. Primrose's firstborn, Zara, was even Henry's best friend at school. This alone made the sergeants' bond rock-solid.

JJ looked around. "Where's your captain?"

"Captain Walsh is with your mom and Olivia right now, JJ." Will informed his wife. "They're in her office. She said to tell you that she'll be along soon."

Primrose chimed in, "Will you introduce me to the rest of your team?"

"Totally." JJ indicated each person in turn. "This is our team leader and my partner, Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss, and SSAs Rossi, Alvez, and Simmons. Next to them are Doctors Reid and Lewis. Last, but certainly not least, is our technical analyst, Penelope Garcia."

"Wow. You brought everyone."

"We did, because this case is personal. The newest missing person, Katherine Spelling, is little Olivia's mother."

"God almighty."

"And it doesn't stop there, Prim. Katherine is my stepsister."

Primrose tried not to stare too much—a lot of information had just been dumped in her lap—but she was immediately onboard to help out however she could.

"What do you need?" she asked her friend.

"A place to talk because we haven't had a chance to discuss the case yet."

"We have just the room." came a new voice.

Will's and Primrose's foremost CO had arrived. Captain Dora Walsh was ruled the roost at the twenty-fourth precinct. She was tall, extremely attractive, and always dressed like she was ready to take on the world. Everyone respected her.

She also knew JJ pretty well. "So sorry I just missed the introductions, my friend—I'll catch everyone's names as we go. Will said you all operate out of a war room kind of place when you're on cases. Is that right?"

"Yes, it is, Dora."

"Perfect." the captain made a beckoning motion. "Please follow me."

Walsh directed them to a large conference room just off the bullpen. It was filled with everything they could need, including an overhead projector and a screen. There was also a host of electrical outlets and computer cords at the head of the table. It was here that Penelope got to work with setting up her tech.

Emily shook hands with Walsh as the others looked around. "I'm Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss. Thank you for having us."

"Dora Walsh." the other woman said by way of introduction. "Will and Primrose are my superstars. When we were handed this case, I told them that no suggestion was a bad one, so it didn't take Will all that long to think of the BAU."

"I see." Emily remarked.

"I know that your team is the best of the best, how it works, and even that Will is married to JJ."

"She's even my partner," Emily added thoughtfully. "And Will is as close as a brother."

Walsh gave her a small wry smile. "That's great. With Will and Primrose being my two sergeants, I've given them the leads on The Yarn Children Case, as far as the MPD is concerned. Is that alright?"

"Definitely. We just haven't had a chance to discuss it for ourselves yet, but anything from you, Will, or Primrose is greatly appreciated."

"I'll bear that in mind."

Looking around, the duo noticed that everyone was getting situated. Penelope was at the head of the table ready to present, with Rossi, Spencer, Tara, Luke, and Matt filling one side of the table. Directly opposite them were the LaMontagnes. Naturally. Primrose was on Will's other side, and Walsh was beside beside her. That left Emily with JJ on the righthand side. Just like always.

"Okay, my friends." Penelope began. "Over the past_ month,_ an alarming number of children have been vanishing from Chevy Chase, Friendship Heights, Wakefield, and Tenleytown; so far, the number is twelve. We don't know why this is happening. Not one iota. What is for _certain_ is that seven of these kids have been returned by their captors."

"Number seven was brought back last night." Will said to the group at large.

"Those returned kids are being brought to places where it's legal to surrender a child." Primrose added. "A concrete fact is that they've all been taken from crowded public areas."

"Like malls or supermarkets." Matt mused.

"I'm sorry to say yes on that front." Penelope pressed a button on the remote on her hand, and they were met onscreen with a collage of young school-aged children. "These are the seven kids who have been brought back."

"What are their names?" Tara wanted to know.

"From left to right, we have Rose Johns, Wyatt Russell, Declan Chung, Zoe Smith, Vera Miller, Beau Gonzalez, and Oakley Fitzwilliam."

"How old are they?"

"Vera, Beau, and Wyatt are five, Rose is six, Declan just turned seven, Zoe is eight, and Oakley is nine. All of them are safe. All of them had yellow yarn on their wrists." Penelope nodded and pressed the same remote button again. A new new photo collage popped up. _"These_ kids vanished into thin air around the same time as as the last few abductions."

"What are their names?" pressed Luke.

"Zev Salazar, Esai Coleman, Dashel Goldberg, and Hope and Faith Ridley. The boys are six, five, and four, in that order."

Penelope blew up a picture of the girls. They were identical to each other in every way.

"Hope and Faith are clearly twins, but they have the unfortunate title of being the youngest—they just turned three this week."

Spencer looked to their police counterparts. "Have any of you reached out to the Salazar, Coleman, Goldberg, or Ridley families yet?"

"Not yet." Will answered. "We were also just given this case. Reaching out to them is on the agenda, though."

"Good." the doctor approved.

Now Penelope called up a picture of a single child—a toddler girl with dark hair and bright blue eyes. "The reason that our forces have come together today is because of this tiny lamb, Olivia Victory Spelling. She's the same age as the Ridley sisters."

Will sat back in his chair. "Do you have a picture of Katherine?"

"I do." Penelope called up a DMV photo for the benefit of those who had never seen it before. "This is Katherine Hannah Spelling. She's Olivia's mother, and they live in Baltimore."

Thereafter followed a very awkward pause. Katherine looked enough like JJ to be her child. Emily, Rossi, Spencer, Penelope, Luke, Tara, and Matt, and even Primrose and Walsh processed this.

JJ broke the silence before it got any longer. "Katherine is my sister because we share the same father, and she even has a twin but that isn't the point right now. I would rather we focus on figuring what brought her and Olivia into town—they never come because they have everything they need in Baltimore."

"Are you close with Katherine?" Primrose asked curiously.

"We're not _best _friends, but I've always told my sister that she could come to Will and I for help if she needed it. She also knows that she can count on us to protect Olivia in the event of something bad."

"It sounds like you really care about her."

"Katherine is my _sister." _JJ said simply. "I—oh, God…"

JJ couldn't finish the sentence because her own abrupt epiphany had startled her so much. She rose from her seat and excused herself out of the room. To say that she was overwhelmed by what had occurred to her was an understatement.

Will and Emily followed her.

They powwowed together, away from the war room so that they couldn't be seen or overheard.

"What is it, cher?" asked Will. "You went somewhere, just now."

"You can tell us." Emily said. "It's okay."

JJ blew out a breath. "I just had the mother of all epiphanies."

"Those don't usually happen for you until we're a few days into a case. Let's hear it."

"What if Katherine caught one of the kidnappers nabbing Olivia, and ended up getting taken, too?" JJ posited. "What if she's wherever Zev, Esai, Dashel, Hope, and Faith are? What if she sent Olivia away so she could get to us?"

Will and Emily both gaped at her. In the space of a minute, JJ had gone from being incredibly emotional to being incredibly fired up. Her mood was fluctuating in a _very_ noticeable way. This quirk only ever happened when she was pregnant.

Suddenly, Will was trying to decide if this was the time or place to ask his own wife if they were expecting a visit from the stork, while Emily grew amused by watching the man's very visible thought process. Part of Emily also wondered if watching this unfold meant that she was in the running to be a godparent to her friends' next child. If there was one.

"Cher," Will finally said. "Are you—"

But JJ grew distracted. She'd caught sight of her mother, across the bullpen in Walsh's office. There was nothing that she suddenly wanted more than to be in Sandy's arms.

JJ crossed the room. Will and Emily followed her again.

That morning had started with JJ's mother already en route from her hometown to D.C.. Nobody had asked her what she was doing in town yet, and the reason was a rather interesting one. Wanting to see Will had just been a last-minute thought.

Sandy hadn't even made it through the front foyer before noticing Olivia. Scared, confused, very lost. Something about the little one had seemed so familiar. Olivia felt the same way about Sandy, but was reacting to her striking resemblance to JJ; she recognized her from a picture at home. Seeing those features in another person felt strange.

In a leap of faith, Olivia asked Sandy for help. In an even bigger leap, Sandy agreed. They found Will after that.

The next thing Sandy knew, she was being shown to Captain Walsh's office and having a snuggle with Olivia while Will went to fetch the CO. She was happy to help. Even if it was just by holding a sleeping child.

All that she knew for sure was that she'd gotten mixed up in one of JJ's cases. Hopefully, it wouldn't be something she'd be wanting to erase from her brain.

Sandy was finally taken from her thoughts by a knock at the door.

"Come in." she called.

JJ was in the doorway, with Will and Emily flanking her. Sandy's heart bloomed at the sight of them.

"Hi, you three." she said in polite confusion. "I know this is where Will works, but JJ? Emily? When did _you_ get here?"

Emily replied, "Just a little bit ago, Missus Jareau."

The older woman smiled fondly at her. "Just call me Sandy—I'm going by my maiden name now, but that's longer than my married name was."

"Understood."

Will spoke up. "I called them, Sandy. Everyone came along."

"Oh, boy. Does anyone want to tell me who this little girl in my arms is?"

Before any of the trio could answer, Olivia sat up in Sandy's arms. The new people had made her curious.

She looked from JJ to Will, and back again. This was becoming the longest day she'd ever had before.

_"Auntie JJ?" _she squawked in disbelief.

"That's me." JJ gave her a small wave. "Hi, Olivia. It's really good to meet you."

The little girl shifted her gaze to the person on JJ's right. _"Uncle Will?"_

He nodded. "That's right, Half Pint."

"I miss my daddy." Olivia's bottom lip trembled as she reached for her uncle. "Can I have hug?"

"You bet. Come here."

Will scooped Olivia up and rubbed her back to help her relax. He understood that she was a torrent of unhappy emotions, but the last thing any of them needed was for her to start crying. That would be no good.

JJ stood with Will, but had eyes only for her niece.

"You're safe now." JJ stroked Olivia's hair. "It's okay, little princess. You're safe."

Olivia yawned hugely, and resigned herself to letting her aunt and uncle soothe her to sleep. She was in Snoozeville very shortly.

Emily watched her friends in awe. They were already fantastic parents to their sons, but doting on Olivia was proof that they would be in orbit with a baby girl.

Sandy spoke again. _"What is going on?"_

"Just a second, mom." JJ told her.

Out of the window, she had spotted one of the uniformed officers hovering nervously near the door. He looked like he had something to say.

JJ left the office and walked up to him. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Are you Supervisory Special Agent Jareau?" he inquired.

"I am." she confirmed.

"I have someone here who has just arrived, and is looking for you."

"Great. Thanks."

The officer went another way, presumably to do something else.

JJ looked upon the newcomer. The man stood tall and well-built, with big blue eyes and a kind smile. His blond hair had even been styled with a fade on one side but remained long and combed over on the top. He was even sporting a full beard and a mustache. Like a hipster. It was apparent that he had come from work at a hands-on job because was wearing a khaki outfit similar to a safari adventurer. A pair of worn black steel-toed boots on his feet were a clue of this. Completing his appearance was a wide-brimmed hat tucked under one arm.

_"August!"_

JJ ran to her brother. They hugged.

"How are you?" he asked, speaking with a very noticeable British accent.

"Super duper freaked out." JJ admitted. "Has anyone told you what's going on?"

August shook his head. "Not entirely—is there something wrong with Katherine? We came here straight from Baltimore because mom sent me an SOS text. The only stop Aurora and I made was to get Lucy from the nanny."

"Oh, buddy." JJ patted her brother on the arm. "Nobody can find Katherine, or has heard from her."

August did his best to not raise is voice in alarm. "Where is Olivia?"

Realizing how absurd her next words were going to sound, JJ spoke as calmly as she could. "She's here. My mom found her."

Now August was in his own state of confusion. "But doesn't _she_ live in Pennsylvania?"

"Everything's been happening so fast that we haven't had time to ask her why she's in town. Does Katherine still have the Christmas card that we sent her on display?"

This was February. JJ had sent the annual family Christmas card out in early December.

August nodded. "Yes, but only because Olivia pitches a fit whenever she tries to move it. Katherine said that Olivia talks to the picture and blows kisses to it all the time."

JJ suddenly felt like all of her heartstrings were being plucked on at once. The only thing she wanted was to have a cuddle with her sons at home. They could watch a movie and eat Cheetos. That sounded like a good plan. Especially the Cheetos.

Jennifer Alexandra Jareau LaMontagne was _definitely_ pregnant.

She wasn't even sure how she managed to keep her head in the conversation with August. "Well, that explains it—Olivia recognized Will and I enough to call us both by name."

"She has a memory like an elephant."

JJ shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I don't mean to impose, August, but would you and Aurora be willing to look after Olivia while we chisel at this mystery? It would be good for her to be with who she knows best."

"We would be happy to take her." he said reassuringly. "Olivia and Lucy are actually really good buddies."

This last part relieved JJ. "Outstanding. I'll go get her."

"Alright."

JJ returned a few moments later with Olivia and gently placed her in August's arms. The little girl reacted by sinking into a deeper sleep and latching onto her uncle, the way a baby koala held on to one of its parents. She was happy to be with someone she knew.

JJ looked up at her brother again. "Thank you."

"Anything for family, JJ. Me and mine are going to stick around."

He didn't have to say _all_ the words for JJ to know what he was waiting on his parents.

JJ just hugged August again before seeing him off with a passing by detective.

When she reentered Captain Walsh's office, her mother held her arms out to her immediately. JJ all but flew into them.

She didn't have a breakdown like she thought she would, but there were definitely some tears shed on her part.

"You'll find everybody because you're the best at what you do." she wiped JJ's tears and kissed her on the forehead. "Your team—and Will's—are going to save the day, just like always. I believe it."

Hearing Sandy say things like this to her always made JJ's heart happy now. She'd waited so long to hear her say that she was proud of her for being in the FBI that any extra validation was always an extra big morale booster. Her words had a very calming affect on JJ.

"Thanks, mom. That really means a lot." JJ said truthfully.

Sandy squeezed her daughter's hand. "Your partner and your husband just gave gave me the civilian version of the situation, but I still have the feeling that they're holding out."

"You're on the money. Let me guess—you asked who Olivia's mother is, but Emily changed the subject, and Will started beating around the bush?"

"That's exactly what happened." Sandy confirmed. "How did you know?"

JJ sighed. "I can always predict Emily's and Will's reactions because I know them like the back of my hand."

She turned a sharp eye on to the people in question.

_"Well?" _she said expectantly.

"She's _your_ mother." Emily said hastily.

Will nodded to emphasize Emily's words. "You should tell her yourself, cher."

JJ rolled her eyes, but turned back to Sandy. "Olivia's mother is _Katherine._ That child you saved is my _niece."_

"Oh, wow. And where _is_ Katherine?"

"That's the million-dollar question, mom. You bumping into Olivia is the best luck that she could possibly have."

"I noticed her because she was by herself. Where did you take her just now?"

"August just showed up, so I gave Olivia to him because he knows her better than we do. His wife and child are also here."

Sandy made a humming sound as she raced to put the facts and clues together. It was like watching JJ's train of thought all over again.

"If Olivia with August's family now, but Katherine is MIA, and the FBI had teamed with metro police, then does this mean that Cliff is on his way here with Hannah?"

"Yes," Will told his mother-in-law. "And JJ's already gone through a whole slew of emotions about it."

Sandy looked to her offspring. "Are you okay?"

"As good as I can be." JJ said around a shaky sigh.

"Then you're concerned about _me, _and how_ I'll _react. Is that it?"

JJ opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by yet another knock at the door and yet one more officer. This one was looking for one of them in particular.

Will greeted her at the door. "What's up, Davis?"

"This gentleman asked to speak to the person in charge of the investigation, sergeant, and since that's you…"

Will caught her drift. "Good job. I'll take it from here."

Davis bobbed her head in acknowledgement and was on her way again.

The man who had accompanied the officer was older—in his seventies, at the most. He was dressed in a button-down shirt, slacks, and very nice shots. A jacket and scarf were even draped over one arm. However, the look on his face was one of worry.

But Will still knew who this was: his father-in-law.

He held out a hand. "Clifford Jareau, I presume?"

The older man gave a nod and reciprocated the handshake. "Sergeant LaMontagne?"

"That's me, sir."

Clifford withdrew his hand. "They told me that I should talk to you about my daughter, Katherine Spelling."

"That's right. Just through here, please."

Clifford walked through the door, and Will closed the door behind him. Emily was enough to count as a witness to the madness that was about to unfold.

When he turned around, it was to see a strange sight.

Clifford didn't know what to think. Before him were three women, each with murder in their eyes, but he only recognized the eldest as his longtime ex-wife. How did _that_ work?

"Alexandra?" he said in surprise to his former wife. "What's going on?"

"That's the question of the hour," Sandy snapped, ignoring the use of her full name. "Or should I say—the last quarter century!"

Clifford set his things on a nearby chair. "Where's _that_ coming from? We made peace about August and Katherine!"

"Don't you talk to me about _your_ children like they're some kind of peace treaty—they're _people!"_

"But we _did_ make peace about them! A long time ago!"

And just like that, the anticipated nuclear reaction began.

JJ back into a corner as her parents fought. Will and Emily stood with her. Loyal. Steadfast. Ready to protect.

What hurt JJ the most was that her own father hadn't even recognized her. He had looked straight through her. Like she was no one.

Out in the bullpen, Rossi, Spencer, Penelope, Luke, Tara, Matt, Walsh, and Primrose were at a loss. They'd reached the same conclusion that JJ had—which was good. The division of labor had even been split up. The bad news was realizing that delivering this particular update would be easier said than done.

Matt bit the bullet first. "Obviously, that's Emily and JJ in the office with Will, which makes the older woman JJ's mom."

Spencer nodded. "Correct."

"Then who's that last person?"

Rossi sighed. "That must be JJ's father."

"But this is also the same guy who dropped out of her life when she was eleven, right?"

"That's two for two."

Matt glanced back at the office. JJ's parents looked like they wanted to rip each other's throats out. It surprised him that JJ wasn't trying to separate them. Of everyone on the Behavioral Analysis Unit team, she was the actual peacemaker. Not much could ever stop her from acting on this talent. He would have to think of some way to cheer her up later on.

The gaggle of police and FBI members looked now to Rossi.

"Thoughts, boss?" Tara asked him.

"Let's go do our jobs." Rossi decided. "Our friends will catch up."

Everyone dispersed.

Back in the office, things were beginning to get even more out of hand. Twenty-five years of unfettered angry words were pouring from Sandy's mouth.

"Clifford, I understand cutting ties with _me_ after the papers were signed and processed," she was saying. "But what I do _not_ understand is the choice you made to drop out of _Jenny's_ life altogether, like she was a project you were no longer interested in!"

These words hit Clifford Jareau like a sledgehammer. Sandy had him there.

He had a lot of explaining to do, but it had suddenly hit him who the other blond woman in the room was.

He faced his middle child and took a step towards her. "Jenny, I—"

"No." she took an automatic step back. "After twenty-five years, you don't get to come _waltzing_ into my life like nothing happened!"

Clifford tried again. "You're so beautiful, and so grown up now!"

"You would know that if you had even _bothered_ trying to talk to me!" JJ yelled. "You would also know that I grew up to be a_ Fed!"_

Clifford moved a further pace forward, only for his daughter to take a bigger pace backwards.

She held a hand out in the universal motion for stop. "No! Don't talk to me, don't touch me, don't do anything!"

"Jenny, please—"

Will moved forward. "She said no."

Emily also advanced. "Let's go somewhere else, Mister Jareau."

Clifford narrowed his eyes at them. "Why don't you both stay in your lane? This is a family matter."

JJ gasped, affronted by her father's rudeness. "How _dare_ you? Will is my husband, and Emily is my partner—they _are_ my family!"

Clifford apologized to them at once. "I am so sorry."

"I don't know if I can accept your apology until my wife does." Will said coldly.

Emily found herself agreeing without hesitation. "Same goes for me. You really hurt her."

Before Clifford could even try to salvage what was left of the conversation there was a soft moan of discomfort was heard from JJ. Her parents, Will, and Emily wheeled about face to look at her.

Something was more off-kilter than ever. JJ was bent over double, as though to catch her breath, but she was losing control. Holding her hand to her heart and practicing calm breaths wasn't working. It all just made her feel even worse. Breathing wasn't supposed to be this hard. On top of that, she could feel her breakdown coming on.

JJ was having a panic attack.

"Will? Emily?" she wheezed. "I don't feel good..."

The last thing JJ remembered before crumpling to the floor in a dead faint was Will and Emily rushing to her as her parents cried out in surprised unison.

"Jenny!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Today is my birthday!**

* * *

Sandy reacted to the newest turn of events before Clifford even had a chance.

Faster than she knew was possible for herself, she exited Walsh's office and scanned the bullpen for any sign of JJ's people. They couldn't have _all_ gone.

Finally, she spotted the war room and made straight for it, stopping just short of going in—she had no desire to see anything that she would want to erase from her brain. Watching her child collapse was already enough. Drawing this close to the door would do.

She knocked on the open door and was promptly greeted by Spencer, Rossi, Penelope, and Captain Walsh.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked upon seeing the stricken expression on Sandy's face. "Is JJ okay?"

Sandy shook her head. "Not exactly. Clifford and I were fighting, and Jenny didn't handle the stress well."

"Oh, no."

Rossi arched an eyebrow. "Did she collapse?"

"Yes."

"But where are Will and Emily?" blurted Penelope.

"They're looking after her." Sandy looked around at the people assembled in front of her. "Could one of you call for an ambulance?"

Walsh pulled out a walkie-talkie clipped to her belt. "I've got this. All of you go."

Sandy hurried away with Spencer, Rossi, and Penelope on her heels. It was almost chaotic when they returned.

Clifford was now experiencing all kinds of guilt about being a source of JJ's distress. All he wanted was to make it up to her. But Will was running interference. Reading his wife's mood and body language, the lieutenant was working to keep his father-in-law at bay. He felt it wouldn't be good idea for Clifford to get any closer.

At this point, JJ was awake and sitting up, but she was leaning heavily against Emily as she gathered her bearings again. Her father's insistent tones were hindering the recovery process. Emily remained quiet and patient as she held her partner. She deserved a stable anchor in all this.

Rossi stepped forward and physically steered Clifford away from Will.

"Come on, Mister Jareau." he said sternly. "Come on."

"But my daughter isn't well—I need to make sure she's okay!"

Rossi continued, like the good man in the storm that he was. "I understand. There's nothing more that you can do here, but JJ _will_ be getting the help she needs."

Clifford grew bewildered. "Then what _should_ I do?"

"One step at a time—let's go find your family."

Clifford just nodded and let Rossi steer him out of the room altogether.

Their departure left the others to give Emily and JJ a wide berth. Things were now at somewhat of a critical juncture.

"Hey, Jayje. Hey in there." Emily patted her friend's cheek when she saw her drifting off. "Clifford left the room."

"Good." JJ huffed. "I don't want to see him for awhile."

"Understandable. I'm going to need you to sit up now, okay?"

JJ nodded as Emily helped her into a sitting position; she couldn't even say anything because her heart was beating so fast. This was becoming a hell of a day.

Her breathing techniques were failing her. This was all so much. And too real.

Emily grew more concerned. "Jennifer, you're looking a little green."

"I'm feeling it." JJ admitted.

"Are you going to vomit?"

"No, but I…"

JJ fainted again before she could get the rest of her thought out.

Everything was a flurry of activity after that.

Because Will was afraid, he requested that Emily join them in the ambulance for the ride to the hospital. But she wouldn't have denied him.

Rossi promised to hold down the fort. Spencer got to work with contacting their teams out in the field. Penelope could even be seen telling Sandy that she was going to arrange for her and the others to get to the hospital. Emily was proud of them. Now she could focus on JJ without anything else hanging over her head for awhile.

* * *

"Hey."

Emily found Will in a chair beside JJ's bed, from where she'd left him to take a phone call. JJ was asleep. The nurses had advised to let her sleep the shock off so she could wake up naturally. Will and Emily agreed that this was a good idea.

"How's JJ doing? Was she talking in her sleep again?"

Emily gestured to how the LaMontagnes were holding hands, even JJ so deep in slumber.

"She was crying." Will sighed pitifully. "She didn't stop until I held her hand."

"Wow." Emily remarked. "So she hasn't woken up at all yet?"

"No."

"Then she doesn't know about…?"

Will shook his head. "Not yet."

Emily gave her friend a pat on the shoulder. "How are _you?"_

"Extremely delighted. I'm also pinching myself because we even got a little more than we bargained for…"

"But…?"

Will exhaled noisily. "A hell of a lot has happened since JJ and I left the house today."

"I believe it." Emily sympathized. "Will, if you and JJ ever need _anything,_ you can count on me."

"Thank you, Emily. It's already a big relief to me knowing that someone who JJ has always been in sync with is the one out in the field with her, protecting her and fighting crime."

Emily beamed. "Meeting JJ is one of the best things that has ever happened to me in my life."

Will smiled, too, but now seemed to be thinking his words through meticulously. Emily saw the man's hesitation a mile off.

"You can tell me anything, Will." she said gently. "I won't be offended."

"If I'd never entered the picture, would you have chosen JJ?"

Emily understood exactly what he meant. "Yes. I've always thought that JJ and I were married in a previous life, but if she had ever been seriously interested in this one, I would have chosen her. Why do you ask?"

Will shrugged. "It's just something that I realized, ever since you skipped out your job in the U.K. without a second thought to come save JJ when she was abducted."

"I would do it again if I had to. I would even take the hit for JJ on any day of the week if it meant she'd be able to come home to you." Emily hugged Will. "I'll be standing by that, every day until it _is_ my time."

Will felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "May I ask you something else?"

"Go for it."

"If anything ever happens to me, would you look after my family?"

Emily didn't have to think about this. "Yes."

Relief was now even more apparent in Will's voice. "Thank you again—I just realized that neither of my sons have ever known life without you."

Emily's heart turned over when as realized that Will was right. Even when she'd been away in London, she had Skyped with JJ so often that Henry had grown up in front of her on the screen. She'd also been told of Michael and introduced to him through video calls. Henry had even once used Skype to ask a question concerning girls because he had been too embarrassed to ask him parents. Emily really _was_ a fixture in the lives of her favorite family.

JJ finally began to stir.

She'd been dreaming vividly of being pregnant, but the dreams were soon crashed by memories of what had happened at the precinct. This jolted her awake.

She even gasped.

"Easy, darlin'. Easy." Will sat with JJ and held his hand to her heart. "Just breathe. "You've got this."

JJ focused on Will's touch, and she was calm enough, she grew aware of her surroundings. Her itchy faux-cloth gown. Her too-small bed. The medical equipment she was hooked up to. The plastic bracelet she'd been tagged with. Even the humming of the overhead lights. She was in the hospital. Yuck.

She turned to her husband. "Babe, what happened?"

Will kissed JJ's cheek. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"My parents were at the precinct, practically ready to kill each other because of an argument." JJ said in surprise. "That was _real?"_

"Oh, yes. Anything else you remember?"

"Collapsing, and Emily taking care of me."

"That was _also_ real." Will confirmed. "In fact, she came over with us in the ambulance."

JJ's heart jumped and she looked around. Emily was watching from a few feet away. Her face was a mixture of joy and relief.

JJ beckoned to her. "Please come here. I need to hug you."

Emily had never been so happy to hold JJ. This was her dearest friend in the universe.

When she was in JJ's embrace, it was as if time had frozen. Emily knew JJ was just as fond of her.

As they pulled apart, the brunette said, "I'm so glad that you're doing better."

JJ smiled bashfully at her. "Thanks for looking after me."

"I will _always_ have your back."

Beside them, Will opened his mouth to speak—he wanted to inform JJ of the news that she needed to be delivered of—but his ringing phone cut him off.

"Who's calling?" JJ wanted know.

Will checked his phone screen. "Primrose. Can I give her an update on you?"

"Yes, please. Will you call Dave, too?"

"You bet, cher." he kissed her on the lips this time. "I'll be right back."

Emily interjected, "Will, what about…?"

He winked at his friend. "You tell her."

Before Emily could protest at the responsibility that she'd been given, Will was already out in the hallway and closing the door behind him. JJ shot her a deadpanned look.

"Tell me _what?" _she pressed.

"Is everything coming back?" Emily asked.

"Yes."

"Will suggested to your EMT during the ride that you might be pregnant. You are."

JJ's heart did a series of loops that she'd never felt before because she was just so surprised. Everything repeated when she saw that Emily was giving her her trademark million-dollar megawatt smile.

"Okay, what?" JJ asked. "Is there something else?"

Emily nodded. "Mhm. You're carrying twins."

JJ's heart turned its biggest loop yet.

"Oh, my goodness." she rubbed her middle with both hands as she processed this new piece of information. "Oh, my goodness."

Emily spoke fast, to keep her partner from falling down a rabbit hole. "I saw your babies on the ultrasound monitor in the ambulance. Will did, too."

"How did he react?"

"Will cried because he incredibly happy."

"Sounds just like him." JJ leaned back on the bed. "We weren't planning on Henry, although the second baby was planned for—he or she just went to Heaven too soon. Michael is our sweet rainbow. Neither of us thought he'd happen, and we almost gave up, but he happened. He's the love that we didn't know that we were even missing until he was here."

"Your sons are precious people." Emily said softly. "I adore them."

JJ pulled back her hospital gown to have a look at her middle. It was regularly very flat because she was a fitness buff who worked out for fun, but now she definitely noticed that there was a curve to it. Hers and Will's newest children were in there. JJ just hadn't been paying too much attention to her body lately because she'd been either occupied with caring for her sick children, or else being the one laid up in bed, ill. Perhaps being pregnant was her new normal now.

JJ looked to Emily again. "Do you have any sonogram printouts?"

"No, I'm afraid." Emily admitted. "The machine on the ambulance didn't have a printer unit. I can promise you, though, that the babies are very healthy."

"Thank heavens…"

Her words trailed off as she wrinkled her nose and touched a hand to the scar from her electrocution wound. That patch of skin had never fully healed, Emily saw, and was a small knick of raised skin. It was quite rough to the touch.

"Are you okay?" Emily queried cautiously.

JJ nodded. "It's nothing—the scar just flares up when I get cold."

"Let's keep you warm." Emily found a blanket in the closet and spread it over her partner. "How's that?"

"Cozy. Thanks, Em." JJ said sincerely. "Now I'm dreading the scar flaring up when I get stretch marks."

"I don't know anything about _that, _but I've learned over the years that cocoa butter works wonders on old scars. I still use it when mine flare up."

JJ smiled to herself as she remembered back to Kate Callahan recommending cocoa butter when it came to soothing stitches. Acquiring the substance was now on her to-do list.

"Thanks for the advice. Does it bother you that I'm talking about pregnancy stuff?"

"No. I take us talking about it as a sign _of_ how close we are."

"Sometimes I wonder if we were ever married in another life." JJ said in a tone of musing. "Does that sound weird?"

"Not to me, because I've always thought the same thing. Will actually just asked me something similar to this train of thought."

"Oh, really? What was it?"

"He asked me if I would have chosen you, had he never come into the picture."

If anything, JJ hadn't been expecting this, but she remained curious about the answer. "What did you tell him?"

"I would have, if you showed any interest. That's what I said." Emily responded. "You've always had a piece of my heart, JJ."

"Just like you've always had a piece of mine." she returned. "I think we're bonded for life now, after all we've been through over. the years. What do you think?"

"I agree. For the record, I wouldn't have chosen anyone else _but_ you if life had turned out differently." JJ gave Emily's hand a gentle squeeze. "Would you look after Will and the kids if anything ever happened to me?"

For the umpteenth time, Emily's heart did a cartwheel. Both LaMontagnes had asked her the same thing in confidence without realizing it.

They really did love her.

"I would do anything for you, Will, and the kids. Your family has always been my family."

Overwhelmed with gratitude, JJ could only hug Emily.

Will returned to the room to find to find them sitting together in a very contented silence. They also seemed to be sharing the same knowing look.

"Okay, what?" the lieutenant said in dejection. "I was gone hardly ten minutes."

JJ beckoned to her husband. "Come here. Emily told me about the babies."

Will kissed JJ soundly. He was both relieved that she was healthy, and as overjoyed as she was that they were going to be parents again. Their lives together were at the best they'd ever been.

Emily suddenly felt like she should leave, so as to let her friends have time to themselves. That seemed to be the wisest course of action.

Her thoughts paused when she saw that Will was regarding her and JJ both.

"I've known for ages that you two are as thick as thieves, and that you care for each other, but seriously—what _happened_ while I was out in the hallway?"

"JJ can tell you later." Emily said. "What I want to know is just how long you've known that your wife and I have been close."

"Since we all first met in New Orleans. I just didn't realize the _full_ gravity until Paris, but it was the events of the _abduction _that sealed it for me."

Both women just gaped at him. Neither of them had ever heard anything like this from Will before.

Emily cried, "You know about Paris?"

"Only because JJ would talk about it in her sleep after the world thought you were dead. I put the pieces together after that, but never said anything, so as to do my part in keeping you safe. It worked."

How Emily didn't turn to mush on the spot, she didn't know. She would love Will and JJ for the rest of her days.

"I don't know what to say, other than thank you, Will." she looked from one LaMontagne to the other. "I owe both of you my life."

JJ rubbed Emily's hands. She wasn't sure how else to convey her thanks beyond saying thank you once more.

Will spoke again, speaking to Emily first. "I called Dave, and said to tell you that your main concern should be helping JJ get back on her feet. All else can wait because he has things under control."

"Copy that." Emily confirmed.

"And what did Primrose tell you?"

"That she sends you wishes for a speedy recovery, and according to Walsh, I have a half-hour before I have to put my cop hat back on."

"Okay. Have you seen my doctor in the last ten minutes, by chance?"

"Yes. She'll be here in a minute."

"Good." JJ glided her hands over her middle again as she let out a gusty sigh. "It feels weird to say this, but do you know if my parents, Hannah, and the rest of the Jareaus are here?"

Will bobbed his head. "They're all in the waiting room, last I heard. Olivia is even still conked out in August's arms."

JJ breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I can't imagine how she is feeling right now; sleeping will help her have a recharge. Maybe I should see if we can get a blanket for her…"

"Look at you—always thinking of others."

The LaMontagnes kissed again.

Emily stood. It was time she made an exit.

"Where are you going?" Will asked her.

"To talk to everyone," Emily responded, although she _really_ wanted to make sure that Sandy and Clifford hadn't hurt each other.

"Oh, stay for the ultrasound!" JJ begged. "We would love for Aunt Emily to see the babies again!"

Will tacked on, "You've been taking care of JJ today since she hit the floor, but you've been part of our family for a _very_ long time. Stay. We want you to."

For what felt like the dozenth time that hour, Emily's heart filled with more affection than ever for the LaMontagnes. They were truly her family.

"Okay." Emily said in a chair beside the bed. "Thank you for the invitation."

JJ smiled at her. "Thank _you_ for staying."

* * *

**btw, I added an opening quote to the first chapter because I forgot to put one in when I started LOL silly me!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Zhangxinna, I'm so happy you're back XOXO**

* * *

Emily made to excuse herself after the ultrasound portion of the appointment. She was nearly to the door when JJ called out.

"Please wait, Emelise!"

She stopped in her tracks at the sound of her rarely-used first name. It was listed on her confidential service record—but her preferred name was on the records that were open to the rest of the agency. Only one person amongst her friends had earned the privilege of learning the name that she had been born with.

She turned to face her partner. "Yes, Jennifer?"

"Are you going to go talk to the others now?"

Emily nodded. "That's the plan."

"Then take these." JJ held out the freshly-printed sonogram images of her youngest children. "Use them for emphasis when you talk to Hannah and my dad, okay? Just don't tell anyone outside of our family."

Emily tucked the pictures into the pocket of her inside jacket. "Okay. Anything else?"

Will handed Emily a family picture from his wallet. "JJ and I are going to have a chat about how far we let Clifford into our lives, but he should at least see a recent picture of us."

"Of course." Emily tucked the picture away with the others. "Thank you for trusting me with these."

JJ called out again. "Will you ask my mom to come here? I really want to see her."

"I'll make sure she gets here. See you later."

Emily took her leave of the LaMontagnes, to encounter Sandy first when she got to the waiting room.

"How is JJ?" she asked. "I'm flashing back to when she was nine."

"She's actually asking for you, and," Emily furrowed her brow as she processed all of what had been said. "What the hell happened when she was _nine?"_

Sandy smirked. "She never told you? Jenny broke her leg when she was tree climbing with Roslyn—she missed a branch and fell right out."

"Oh, my God."

"It gets worse."

"Of course it does." Emily sighed. "Did the recovery process make her go haywire?"

"In a manner of speaking. Jenny had a rather bad reaction to the pain meds, and they somehow triggered a fever. That made her hallucinate."

"What the hell?"

Sandy laughed now at Emily's bewilderment. "It's true. Most hospital-grade painkillers, and all fevers have made her hallucinate, ever since."

Emily shook her head in wonder. "I never would have guess _those_ quirks of JJ."

"Nobody would. Is right now the first time you've left her side since the fainting spell?"

"Yes."

"Then you for always taking care of my daughter."

Sandy hugged Emily and then looked at her with the same kind of intense gaze that JJ had met her with so many times in the past.

"What room is she in, please?"

"305. I'm sure someone can give you directions."

"Thank you, Emily." Sandy said again. "I have something to do before I go see Jenny."

The older woman headed in the opposite direction of JJ's room. Emily's heart skipped a beat in a not-so-fun way when she scanned the waiting room after that to find that Clifford was absent. She couldn't take too long in putting out _that _fire.

"But you don't have time." Emily scolded herself. "They're adults who have a history together. You have people to talk to."

She scanned the room yet again.

August and Aurora, along with Lucy and Olivia, were on a couch together. Each person looked lost in their own thoughts. On balance, Emily elected to leave them alone.

Her sights fell next to a woman at the opposite end of the room. She was alone, and facing a big panoramic window. She was dressed very nicely in a way that suggested prominence, and even her voluminous blond hair had been styled into an extravagant hair bun. Had she been somewhere fancy that day?

But Emily this woman could only be one person.

"Pardon me," Emily said as she stood beside her. "But are you Hannah Jareau?"

The woman turned to her and nodded. She even spoke with an English accent heavier than August's.

"Yes, I'm Hannah." she studied Emily. "And you must be one of JJ's people."

"Mhm." the brunette extended a hand. "I'm Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss."

They shook hands.

"I'm JJ's partner and CO, but she's always been one of my closest friends."

"I'm glad you came here with her. How is she?"

"JJ's awake, sitting up, and talking." Emily said.

"That's a relief, but she must hate me. What do you know about me?"

If this was any other situation, Emily would have pounced on Hannah by now because of her loyalty to JJ, but this was reality.

So she conducted herself with professionalism. "I know that you are Clifford Jareau's second wife. I also know you are August's and Katherine's mother."

At the mention of her missing daughter, Hannah looked like she wanted to cry. "Any news on my girl?"

Emily shook her head. "Nothing that I've been informed of yet, but finding people is a skill that my team has always excelled at. The team also knows that Katherine is a widow."

Hannah sighed. "She said that she and Philemon were trying for their second child before he departed for his last deployment. I don't know if anything's come of it, but..."

"Katherine could be expecting." Emily realized. "I'll make that my people and the detectives are made aware of this."

"I appreciate that." Hannah steered her thoughts in a new direction. "Cliff and I aren't monsters, you know."

The abrupt change threw Emily. "Excuse me?"

"I see it in your eyes: your expression says 'investigator,' but your eyes are saying 'best friend of JJ.' Am I wrong?"

"No. She's the closest friend I've ever had in my life." Emily replied. "I care a lot about her."

"And I rest my case. When I met Cliff, I was a bright-eyed twenty year old, working in a coffeehouse to myself through elite photography lessons."

This piqued Emily's interest. "What do you do?"

Hannah stood proudly. "I work at the same zoo as August and Aurora, but I'm the director of public relations. I also shoot all of the zoo's promotional photography."

"That's really neat. What does your husband do?"

"Cliff was a math professor back then, but he's retired now. I fell for him on the spot."

"Did you know about the divorce?"

"Yes, and I felt sorry for him about it. He also told me about Roslyn." Hannah shook her head sadly. "On the nights it hurt Cliff the most, I just held him. Do you know how his and Sandy's marriage was during the last few years?"

"Tumultuous."

"Precisely. Nothing and no one could have saved them."

"Then why did you support his choice to drop out of JJ's life, Hannah?" Emily demanded. "I've known that woman for_ twelve years,_ and today was the first time I utter heartbreak on her face. Clifford looked straight through her because there was no recognition on his part."

Hannah had the decency to look ashamed of herself. "Honestly, the only reason I never took the option off the table was because I was too young and full of it in those days to think about any longterm damage. What I _did_ see was that Cliff needed to restart. He felt that leaving behind all aspects of Pennsylvania behind—even his traumatized grieving child—was the right call. I would change that choice if I could."

"Then I take it that you regret making it?"

"Deeply, especially because having August and Katherine gave me a change of heart. Cliff remains too stubborn to come around." Hannah sighed. "It was his idea to not let the twins know of JJ—or her of them—for those eighteen years because we were both raised on old, traditional ways of thinking like that."

"What happened when you two finally broke the revelation of JJ to the twins?"

Hannah's shame deepened. "August and Katherine were both mad at us for awhile. They might still be angry, even though it's been a few years, but I'm not entirely sure."

"Why?"

"I supported August and Katherine in their choice to seek JJ out, but neither of them have ever told me anything solid about her. Never. I think it's their way of sticking it to me for helping to keep them in the dark."

Hannah surveyed Emily. She was impressed against her will that she hadn't had any bigger of an outburst towards her than what she'd already had.

"What _must_ you think of me?"

Emily thought many things about Hannah, but she still kept her cool. "I think that they choices you made back then were harmful to August, Katherine, and JJ. Today alone, I saw the psychological damage that those choices caused in my friend. It was far from pretty. But… there is one good thing I'll give you."

"What is it?"

"You're showing remorse."

Hannah felt once again like she was going to cry. "I just want to know what my stepdaughter is like, but nobody will say anything—Cliff won't even say her _name!"_

"JJ is the best friend I've _ever_ had." Emily told her. "She's very kind, wildly smart, and her combat skills are off the charts. I trust with my life because we've save each other many times."

"Wow." Hannah marveled. "What's her family like?"

"They're very close-knit, and they love to have fun together. Everybody loves them." Emily handed Hannah the photograph Will had given her. "Here. This was taken in October."

The image was of the LaMontagnes during a photography session at a park near their house. Emily had been there that day to wrangle Michael when he wasn't having his picture taken. The photographer even invited her in on some shots after awhile. As a result, Emily had pictures with Henry and Michael, JJ and Will each, and the family as a whole. All of the pictures were sitting in frames on her desk in her office. She treasured them.

Hannah was positively spellbound.

"They're so beautiful." she observed. "What's everyone's name? It's never said on the Christmas cards."

"JJ's husband is called Will. He's a sergeant, and he and his partner are the lead police investigators on this case." Emily then indicated the LaMontagne brothers. "These are his and JJ's boys, Henry and Michael. They're best friends."

"How lovely."

"Henry is even about to take a test at school to see if he can get into a higher level man class. Michael is obsessed with soccer." Emily smiled bashfully. "I love the boys as if they were my own."

"Even lovelier."

"I love these little ones already, too."

Emily handed Hannah the sonograms.

She also took a second to have a time-out, mentally.

Being a mother was on her mind because she'd been feeling the march of time in recent years. She'd just been squashing the feelings because she'd found happiness with Andrew Mendoza, but the one time she'd mentioned wanting to be a parent, his response had been to change topics after giving a vague answer. This was enough to plant one small seed of misgivings in Emily's head about him.

However, the couple was never exactly careful when they went to bed together—which was often—and the further Emily ruminated on the matter, the it was occurring to her that something was just different about herself.

She was tired _all_ the time, her appetite was nearly insatiable, and... if her body was any more uncooperative than it had been recently, she was going to be _late._

Then she told herself not to be ridiculous because as much as she wanted to be a mother, she was too old to be pregnant now. All of these feelings could be sorted out before bed.

Yes, that sounded like a good plan. So did sleeping like a log.

Emily shook her head to reorganize her thoughts.

Focus, and just stay in the moment, Emelise Adele, she told herself.

Hannah's voice brought her down to earth again. "JJ's pregnant with twins?"

"Yes," Emily confirmed. "She and Will just found out since leaving the station."

"Goodness gracious. Is your life ever quiet?"

Emily put the pictures away when Hannah handed them back. "No, and neither is JJ's, but I wouldn't change a day. Neither would she."

"I'm so glad. JJ looks like she's done well for herself. I'm incredibly happy for her."

Though it was plain to see that Hannah was telling the truth, it was even more plain to see that she was holding something back.

"What is it, Hannah?"

"There must be something in the water." Hannah gave a nervous laugh. "We just found out today that JJ, August, and Katherine are going to be big siblings later this year."

Emily felt her heart skip a beat for the second time already. Could this day get any more odd?

"Cliff isn't happy because he isn't exactly young. I'm hoping he comes around soon." Hannah went on. _"I'm _over the moon to a mother again—even if the rest of my kids are adults… and I'm less than five years from turning fifty."

Emily worked harder than ever to keep her cool. It was as if the universe was hurling signs at her for something. In the form of her dearest friend's stepmother. Thankfully, Hannah kept talking.

"We ended up in D.C. to eat—one of Cliff's favorite places to eat is down here. I was also trying to snap him from his funk."

"Did it work?"

Hannah shrugged. "I don't know because we got the call to go to the station when we were halfway through the meal. Other than the doctors, Cliff, and I, nobody else knows about kid number four. Will keep it to yourself?"

Emily's burden grew, but she nodded. "You got it."

"Thanks. Do you think a visit to JJ is a good idea? Be honest."

"I _do_ think it's a good idea," Emily decided. "But will you allow me to offer some advice first?"

Hannah nodded. "Please, by all means."

"It would be a good idea to wait until after Sandy's been to see JJ. They probably want to talk their feelings out right now."

"That makes a lot of sense. I can wait."

"Good." Emily approved. "My second piece of advice is to just be JJ's friend. All she knows about you is that you're her father much younger second wife, as well as the person who aided him in the choice to keep quiet about August and Katherine for eighteen years. JJ loves them very much, but she feels robbed."

"I owe her the explanation for that…"

"I'm glad you have one. Do you think you could try to be her friend?"

"I do."

Emily offered Hannah a smile. "That's also good. JJ is not an unreasonable person, so I'm sure she'll come around faster to you than Clifford; she just has a lot on her plate. The fact that you're showing remorse, _and_ seriousness about wanting to patching things up will work well in your favor."

Hannah breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, so much."

"You're very welcome. Now, I need you to think—is there any reason that Katherine would have made the trek down to D.C. with Olivia? JJ said that everything they need is in Baltimore."

Hannah wracked her brain, and when she came up with an answer, she looked like she wanted to kick herself.

"I don't know why I only _just_ thought of this!" she fretted. "I'm a _terrible_ mother!"

"No, you aren't." Emily soothed. "The important thing right now is that you've remembered."

With renewed confidence, Hannah said, "Katherine told us a few days ago that she was going to go to a support group for war widows."

"That's great. Do you know why she chose to come to a gathering that's almost an hour away? Why not pick one closer to home?"

"She said that the group down here has childcare. The only one by us doesn't."

Emily had her notepad out now and was diligently taking notes now. "Do you know where it meets?"

Hannah stopped to think again. "Somewhere in the Adams Morgan area, I think. Maybe a different hospital or a church?"

Emily made a few more notes, knowing that Penelope would be pleased by these parameters. "Thank you very much. I'm going to let you go now because I have a phone call to make, and I need to talk to your husband."

"Okay. He and I aren't speaking right now, but there's a bridge a little ways back by the nurse's station that connects this building to the next one; you'll probably find him there because overlooks the street. Cliff is a people-watcher."

"Good to know."

"And I feel compelled to warn you—I saw Sandy head in that same direction after she spoke with you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes." Hannah confirmed. "I didn't tell Sandy, but she probably remembered the people-watching habit, too."

"Probably." Emily put her note-taking tools away. "You've been a huge help."

"I'm glad I could give you some insight about my daughter. Good luck with everything."

Hannah left Emily so she could go sit with August, Aurora, Lucy, and Olivia again. She needed them.

Emily left in search of JJ's parents. Her fingers were crossed that things hadn't escalated again.

Just as quickly, her mind was back on the subject of baby fever. JJ's news were stirring up her feelings tenfold. She wanted to be a parent, so it was time to have a serious chat with Andrew on the matter. That was going to be a fun time. Not.

Emily also found herself hoping against hope that the unusual things she'd been noticing about herself lately weren't in her head. She needed everything to be real.

What startled her was that for how ever much she let herself deny the idea of a visit from the stork, the more certain she was that she had _already_ been visited by it.

"How is this my life?" Emily murmured as she headed in the direction of the bridge.

The last time her body had felt like this was the Italy mess.

There was _definitely_ something in the water.


	6. Chapter 6

Just as Hannah had guessed, Clifford was one the covered bridge that connected one hospital building to the next. He was watching the people on the street below, coming from or going to wherever they were needed the most.

At least things were normal where August, Aurora, Lucy, and Olivia were concerned. It was good to have some stability.

The rest of the day had gone to hell in a hand-basket.

Clifford was trying figure out how to dig himself out of the JJ-shaped hole he'd fallen into, and he had yet to wholly digest the discovery of Hannah's pregnancy. Becoming a dad again at the age of seventy—especially when he was already a grandfather—was a hard concept to swallow. He wished his family could be some kind of normal. But no. On top of everything else, Katherine was missing, and _Sandy_ was in town. What?

_"There_ you are."

Clifford's thoughts were interrupted by Sandy's voice.

It was all he could do to not roll his eyes. "Yes, Alexandra?"

"Using my full name again, huh?" she sneered. "How did you not recognize Jenny? She looks like _I_ did when we met!"

"I didn't recognize her because it was already a big enough surprise to see _you _after twenty-five years." Clifford shot back. "I have rather a full plate right now: Hannah and I were also blindsided by something at the doctor's office today. At least she was pleased after a few minutes. I'm enough of a man to admit that I didn't take it well."

Sandy not amused. "Is Hannah talking to you?"

"No. She said she won't talk to me until there's an update on Katherine, or I start giving believable apologies."

"For God's sake—what happened?"

Clifford paused. Though he and Sandy had been divorced for so long, he still knew that his answer was going to deliver some kind of blow. Hannah would also probably be irritated with him for telling… but it was better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.

Sandy pounced when Clifford was quiet for a little too long. "How old is Hannah?"

Clifford found his voice. "She's forty-six."

Sandy was relieved when her quick mental math about dates and facts checked out. By her calculations, she hadn't been cheated on because Clifford and Hannah had gotten together after the divorce. No fat had been to the fire. She then shifted into trying think of what could make her former husband so squirrelly.

Then she got it. "Clifford, is Hannah pregnant?"

"She is." came the blunt reply.

Sand didn't feel angry—only annoyed. "And _that's_ why you reacted badly?"

"Can you blame me?"

In that moment, Sandy felt like what little goodwill she had been willing to show Clifford was no longer necessary. His jab of an inquiry had gotten under her skin. Sandy had also carried this man's children before. Things had gone quite wrong during the last time, however. Sandy found that she was very much Team Hannah."

"I can, do, and _will_ blame you!" Sandy snapped. "Just give Hannah the apology that she's owed!"

Clifford stomped his foot. "We have grown children, and _two _grandchildren—the last thing we need is to go backwards, after all this time!"

_"Backwards? _You may be 'over the hill,' but your wife still has a long life ahead of her. Why can't you just be happy?"

Clifford was all too aware of how petulant his next words were. "The plans we had for her early retirement have been totally canned now. And why do _you_ care so much?"

"Even though Hannah is partially responsible for keeping Jenny from her brother and sister, she's _pregnant. _I can be mature about this whole thing because I'm willing to try, so how about _you?"_ Sandy put her hands on her hips. "It's not like we're going to be best friends, but the kid that Hannah is carrying is as much related to Jenny as August and Katherine are. Jenny would never forgive me if I didn't make _some _kind of effort."

"Then what do you suppose I would have to do so I could get into our daughter's good graces?"

_"Ask her."_

"Fine." he huffed. "Are you _sure_ that asking me about recognition abilities is _all_ you want to ask?"

Sandy heard the underlying theme of his town, and she didn't like it. "I've already done the math about when you made your second family!"

"All of it?"

"Quit stirring pots that don't need stirring—unless you really want to keep being a jerk just for me. Lord knows you're good at it."

She was challenging him at every turn, and he knew it. This was how their more terrible fights had always begun.

"It's fine that you care about Hannah, but why do you care so much about a baby that is in _zero_ ways related to you?" Clifford pressed. "You've always been attached to kids—even after _we_ were parents, and _after_ Jenny. I can't be the only one between the two of us who can be blamed for the dissolution of our marriage. One occasion in particular comes to mind."

Sandy felt both a sucker punch and anger. She remembered with too much ease the 'occasion' he was talking about. It had been a truly _terrible_ day. She couldn't believe that he was choosing _now_ of all times to bring it up. Anger surged through Sandy's body because she'd let her guard down—after a quarter of a century apart, Clifford still had the capacity to be a jerk. Not all wounds could heal completely.

Sandy's first impulse was to slap Clifford across the face, but that would have undone her points about taking the high road.

"How dare you bring up _that_ day! I didn't exactly make our last baby by myself, did I?"

"Have you ever told Jenny that she was almost a big sister back then?"

Sandy's tone was begrudging. "No."

"Then don't throw all of your stones at me today, Alexandra." Clifford said coolly. "Jenny is going to have to learn _some time_ that she has a baby sibling in Heaven."

Sandy sighed. Clifford was right.

Meanwhile, Emily's thoughts were torn between wanting to pour all her energy into finding Katherine and the missing children, talking with Andrew, and crawling into bed so she could sleep for a week. Why did things have to be so complicated? She loved her job and would never leave it for anything, but being the leader could be a real bummer sometimes. It was like the weight of the world was on her shoulders alone.

Emily found both of JJ's parents talking together on the otherwise empty covered bridge. But it sounded more like they were hissing at each other.

What bad luck for Emily to arrive in time to hear them discussing their third child.

She cleared her throat noisily. Sandy and Clifford both jumped.

"Emily, how long have you been there?" Sandy said in surprise.

The agent scrambled for a fast answer. "Just long enough to know that JJ has been a middle child for longer than she's known."

"And are you going to tell her?"

Emily's burden of secrets grew even heavier. "Uh-uh. My lips are sealed."

"Smooth. What did you need?"

"To have a chat."

Clifford straightened himself out. "Then allow me to go…"

"Actually," Emily said in a firm tone. "I need to speak with _both_ of you."

"About Katherine's case?" he guessed, staying put.

"Partly. I've just spoken with Hannah, and she told me that Katherine came to D.C. with Olivia because the support group here has childcare. Is there _anything_ else you feel that I should know?"

"No. Has Hannah talked about anything besides travel patterns?"

Emily paused—she was trying now to figure out how present her next bulletin point without stepping on JJ's parents' toes, or the like.

Sandy seemed to be reading her mind. Just as JJ often did.

"I _do_ know about Hannah's baby because I figured it out." she said reassuringly. "Take a breath. Please."

"Thank you." Emily exhaled in genuine relief. "Hannah told me about the baby, and I'm genuinely happy for her, but…"

She hesitated again as she thought about wording again. Her next statement regarded JJ time, and before her were JJ's _parents. _Both of them. Emily had been in many a strange position before, but never anything like this. It was new.

"But what?" Clifford prompted.

"JJ always considered me her family, and for that, I know that she's going to care what I think about her new brother or sister. She'll also care about what I think of Hannah."

"What's your point? Jenny doesn't know about the baby."

"My _point,_ sir, is that I'm putting it out there that if anyone in the family asks me whose side I'm on, it's Hannah's." Emily said adamantly. "She's really sad already because of your bad response. I won't be moved on this matter until you apologize to your wife, _and_ put some serious effort into making up with JJ."

"Fine. How close _are_ you with Jenny?"

"She's the best friend I've ever had in my entire life."

Sandy said to Clifford, "Emily has always been Jenny's last line of defense between whatever her version of normal is, and insanity. It's a 'one can't survive without the other' situation."

Clifford was privately impressed by this. "Okay, but now I have a feeling that Emily has been sitting on something else. Am I wrong?"

Emily was now being looked upon by both of JJ's parents. To say that the moment was disconcerting was far from doing the feeling justice.

"No, you aren't wrong." she sighed. "I love JJ so much that when I say that we'd be dead without each other, it isn't an exaggeration. It also means that if things had gone any differently, I would have married her."

JJ's parents both stared.

Clifford wasn't sure what to say because this was turning into an absurdly long day. As for Sandy, this admission simply made her love Emily even more.

Sandy hugged her. "I always knew I liked you. Does Jenny know about what you've just told us?"

"Yes, and the feeling is mutual on her part. Will also knows." Emily said. "I actually told them both since we've been at the hospital. They took well to it, and even asked me the same favor—separately—without realizing."

"What was it?"

"Will asked me to look after JJ and the kids if anything ever happened to him."

Sandy connected the dots. "Then I suppose JJ asked you to look after Will and the kids if anything ever happens to her?"

Emily bobbed her head. "That's what happened. I told said yes to both of them without hesitation."

Right then and there, Sandy decided that she would love Emily like one of her own from then on.

"I'm so glad that Jenny knows you." she told the younger woman.

"I wouldn't be who I am without her. She's both changed my life and saved me, many times over."

Emily watched JJ's parents take in her kind words about their daughter. It was like their anger towards each other was melting right in front of her.

So she took the conversation in a new direction, approaching Clifford first, holding the LaMontagne family portrait to him.

"This is JJ's family." she explained. "Her husband said that they're going to have a chat about how much they're going to let you into their lives, but he wanted you to see the this."

Clifford took the picture and admired it. His daughter's family was beautiful.

"What's everyone's names?" he inquired.

"JJ's husband is called Will. They named their sons Henry and Michael."

"The boys look just like Jenny did when she was little." he handed the photograph to Sandy so she could see it. "Wow."

Taking the compliment as a good sign, Emily added, "Hannah mentioned that you're a retired mathematics professor. What was your specialty?"

"Geometry. Why?"

"Henry is a math genius—he's actually due to take a placement test soon to get into a higher level math class at school. I've also heard that he loves to read the works of _Einstein."_

Even Sandy hadn't know this, and she couldn't help remarking to her ex, "It sounds like Henry has your gift."

"It does." he agreed.

Emily spoke next with near caution. "I'm not saying that this is a promise of anything, but it's just something to keep in mind when you _do_ decide to talk to your daughter."

Clifford nodded courteously. "Much obliged."

Emily felt butterflies in her stomach as she prepared to tell JJ's parents the rest of the news.

"These are also from the LaMontagnes." Emily handed over the sonograms. "JJ's just found out since being admitted today that she's pregnant."

At this pronouncement, JJ's parents both felt their hearts jump. Even in their strife, they could still put their feelings aside to be happy about one of their children having another child of her own. JJ was their last living accomplishment. That made her worth pausing anything for.

"JJ is having _twins."_ Emily pointed them out on the paper. "There's a baby here, and a baby here. See?"

They did.

Sandy handed the pictures back; all she could think of was getting to her offspring. "You said Jenny is in room 305?"

"Yes." Emily confirmed. "I just need to say one more thing."

"Hm?"

"Of course you two have a history together because of your daughters, but I _did_ also just find you two fighting. The drama needs to be put aside—just for now, alright?" Emily looked from one person to the other with dead seriousness. "Be JJ's parents and show up for her. She's laid up in bed because of a major panic attack, Hannah is just feeling distraught, and Katherine has yet to be found. Focus on what matters. _Please_ be adults today. If not for the sake of the situation or Hannah, then at _least_ try for JJ and Katherine. I know you both can do it."

JJ's parents knew that they were devolving into pettiness, but they also knew that Emily was right.

Clifford broke the ice. "Okay, Emily—we'll act right. Where is my wife?"

"Back in the waiting room with August, Aurora, and Olivia."

"Thank you. I'll go join them now."

He turned and left.

Sandy regarded Emily once more, and this time through the eyes of a mother. Nothing else.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Emily replied blandly.

"Okay, sure." Sandy's sounded unconvinced. "Just remember that I raised _two_ teenage daughters—I've heard 'I'm fine' in every tone, ever. Does Jenny read you very well?"

Emily nodded. "She reads me like a book, _and_ she knows me like the back of her hand. I know her the same way."

"And you really _do_ mean it when you'd do anything for her?"

"Yes—I dropped everything once at a posting in London to help her out of a tight spot. She's come through for me like that more than once."

Sandy surveyed Emily further. "Just don't forget that Jenny is a good person to talk to whenever you want to get whatever it is you're 'fine' about off your chest, alright?"

Emily exhaled noisily again. "Okay, Sandy. Thank you."

She gave Emily's arm a gentle squeeze. "Are you close with your parents?"

"Very, especially now that I'm living in the same country as them again. Their house is ten minutes from my building. We have dinner together there, at least once a week when I'm not on a case."

"You're a wonderful daughter." Sandy hugged her again and held her out at arm's length. "I love you because you love Jenny, Will, and the kids. You'll always have a place in my heart."

Now Emily felt like she was going to cry, just from what Sandy was telling her—but she didn't get mushy this easily. What was going on with her? _Was_ she pregnant? _Was_ this her hormones in hyperdrive? What she wouldn't give to have a few minutes of quiet to figure it all out.

"Just drop me a line if you ever need anything." Sandy's eyes flickered towards Emily's middle, although only for the briefest of moments before she smiled at her again. "Take care of yourself. Do you promise me that you will?"

Emily returned the smile. Yes. I promise you I will."

Sandy gave her one last hug before excusing herself so she could finally search for JJ's room. This left Emily alone on the covered bridge.

Alone, with her thoughts.

Emily held both hands to her middle, and her breath caught immediately—even through her clothes, that area of her body felt firmer to the touch than it normally did. This gave her hope.

She looked down at her middle, and stroked it with her thumbs. There just _had_ to be a life in there.

If she was wrong, she was wrong, but for now, she was choosing to believe. It was better than not trying.

"If there's anyone in there," Emily murmured. "This is mama, and I just want you to know that I already love you. There will never be a day when I don't."

The idea of even the possibility of her own child had her mesmerized.

So she stayed there for a little bit longer.


	7. Chapter 7

Sandy found JJ's room easily after getting directions.

When she arrived, it was to see her daughter sitting up in bed, looking sad. Sandy had last seen JJ in such a mood was when they'd talked their feelings out during the road trip. Already, she was preparing for another heart-to-heart conversation.

"Jenny?" she said as she stood in the doorway. "Are you sociable?"

JJ looked around at the sound of her name, lighting up when she saw who her visitor was.

"Mom!" she sat up and held her arms out. "You're here!"

"Of course I am." Sandy crossed the room in great strides and hugged JJ before sitting in the chair next to her bed. "What kind of mother would I be if I didn't visit you while you were in the hospital?"

She looked around.

"Where did Will go?"

"Back out. I'm sure you've put two and two together by now about some things by now."

"Like your team working with Will's on this case." Sandy deduced.

JJ nodded. "Will still answers to his captain, but he oversees the day-to-day operations of his team. They've always looked to him as a leader."

"And it's the same dynamic on your team at the FBI, right, but with _David Rossi _being the one who outranks you? And Emily?"

"Yes, and—what?"

JJ grew exasperated when she saw a mischievous look on Sandy's face.

_"__What?"_

"Seventeen years with your Behavioral Analysis Unit, and most of it under the tutelage under David Rossi—the man who _inspired_ you to join the FBI."

"Definitely true." JJ said warily; she could tell that her mother was building up to something.

"Does anyone know that you have _all_ of his books? Even the early works?"

"No." JJ pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's enough that I have an autographed first edition of one of his _first_ book—which I doubt he remembers signing for me in the first place—but he's also given me a free signed copy of every book he's published since coming to the BAU just because he knows I love to read. He's been like a dad to me for as long as I've known him."

Sandy made a note to sit down with Rossi at some point. She wanted to meet the man who had had such a huge role in her daughter's life.

She somehow stayed the course of her first train of thought. "I could still make sure that Rossi at least knows how many of this books you have…"

"You will _not." _JJ huffed.

Sandy playfully tapped JJ's elbow. "I won't. Not to worry."

JJ breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. "Oh, thank goodness."

Sandy grinned. "It's just great to hear you laugh."

"I'm always happy to see you, but I'm _extra_ happy today. There are things I need to talk about." she leaned back on the bed. "Have you seen dad?"

"I have, and we had words."

"Did he at least ask about me?"

"No."

JJ's face dropped as she was awash with sadness. "Oh. Did he tell you why he didn't recognize me?"

"Clifford said that seeing me was already a big enough shock."

"Oh." JJ said again, feeling dejected. "I guess I was further from his thoughts than ever. He loves August and Katherine more than me."

"I don't know about all _that,_ but your father is most certainly an old-fashioned man living in modern times."

"Yes. Did you or dad bump into Emily?"

_"__She_ bumped into _us. _Before that, she'd been talking with Hannah." Sandy provided. "Emily arrived just in time—I was about have louder words with Clifford because he was being a jackass. We were on the verge of having 'louder' words. Emily wanted to double-check that she had all the information she'd been hunting for."

"And...?" JJ prompted.

"From what I gather, she succeeded."

Sandy chose to leave out the part about Hannah's baby because telling JJ about the little one wasn't her place. She also had a feeling that Hannah would be stopping by soon. Robbing the woman of her own monumental conversation starter would be very unkind.

Oblivious to her mother's thoughts, JJ mused, "Then that means Emily was able to glean a _lot_ of information from Hannah."

"Good." Sandy approved. "I don't think I can imagine how you and everyone else must be feeling about Katherine being MIA."

JJ rubbed her eyes. _"I'm _super duper freaked out, and even if I wasn't a federal agent, I'd still feel responsible for helping to find her. What else did Emily say?"

"She withheld the government-related particulars, but she _did_ tell your father and I about _how_ dearly she cares for you."

JJ blushed. "The feeling is mutual, and Will has no problems about it—he actually did some of his own investigating about it today. I wish I could explain what I'm talking about."

"It's perfectly okay if you can't." Sandy said reassuringly. "I'm just very happy that you have Will and Emily in your life."

"I wouldn't be who I am without either of them." JJ said with complete honestly.

"I believe it. I'm also _choosing_ to believe that your father cares, too."

JJ grew skeptical at once. "You really think so?"

"Mhm. He would have left the conversation with Emily if he didn't."

"Dad still has a long way to go before I can forgive him for everything, but him sticking around for a conversation with Emily counts for something. Right?"

"Right." Sandy confirmed. "I'm still proud of you for taking a step in the direction of reconciliation with your father. Even if it is a small one."

"Thanks." JJ glided a hand across the top of her middle; she was still trying to get used to being a twin mother. "Does it bother you that I care so much at my brother and sister?"

"Heavens, no." Sandy squawked. "Why?"

Without missing a beat, JJ countered, "They wouldn't exist if Roslyn was alive."

Sandy was enveloped with a wave of grief at these words. JJ was completely right, of course, but processing the full truth was harrowing. What _was_ her life?

"Listen, Jenny—when we were talking with Emily, she asked us to put aside our differences for the sake of the situation. She said that if we couldn't do it for _that,_ then to do it for you and Katherine."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. I would have said yes, either way, though. Your happiness and stability will always be important to me."

"Oh, mom…"

"It will sadden me forever that Roz felt she had to end her life to stop her pain, and to save you from what that terrible man was doing. My heart will always be broken that you were the one who found her. If I could take that back from you, I would." Sandy told her. "Your father's departure left me in a rut of pain for a long time, but I did eventually let him go. It also _has_ been a quarter of a century. I've moved on. I'm going to tell you something I told your father now."

"Oh?"

"I will be mature about everything because I'm willing to try. This includes being acquaintances with Hannah, and friendship with August and Katherine _because _they're your siblings. You have nothing to worry about."

JJ felt like she was going to cry. "That means a _lot."_

"Anything for you. Anything."

Sandy cast a hand over her daughter's exposed middle.

"Emily told us about the babies, and I'm so delighted for you and Will. How are you two feeling?"

"Dazed, excited. This is exactly what we wanted. It's just been a hell of a doozy, and then finding out that we're having _twins…"_

"Hell of a doozy, huh?"

"Yes, especially since the babies are identical. Henry will deal just fine—he'll probably even go whole hog on researching twins. Michael will just be convinced he's seeing double. I think he's already doing that, but Will doesn't agree that baby boy needs glasses right now. He thinks he'll grow out of it." JJ rubbed her temples, unashamed of rambling in front of her mother. "Why can't _any_ of my children _ever_ do _anything_ small?"

"They inherited the 'I don't do anything small' gene from you because of what happened when you were nine." Sandy said coyly.

"Oh, my God. Never _ever_ tell that story to anyone."

"Too late—I ended up telling Emily because she read into my concern. I also told her about what fevers and hospital meds do to you."

In spite of herself, JJ laughed again. "Emily is family. At least I know _her_ silly secrets—that makes it are."

"Yes. At least there _is_ that."

Sandy pointed to something on JJ's body that had caught her attention.

"What happened here It looks bad."

She was talking about JJ's most prominent scar. The injury bearing one of the darkest chapters of her life.

"Mom, I have a confession to make." JJ pointed to her middle. "These are LaMontagne babies four and five. Michael is number _three. _Do you get what I'm saying?"

Sandy totally got it, but she was quiet because she was being flooded with old memories of her own.

"I'm sorry." JJ added quickly, very apologetic. "I'm sorry that I never told you before."

Sandy hugged her daughter, trying to pour all of her feelings into the affection. This visit wouldn't be ending without her sharing one of her own closet skeletons.

"There's nothing to apologize for." she looked JJ square in the eyes. "When was your miscarriage?"

"During the year I was away from the BAU. Some things about the experience are technically still classified. Do you really want to know?"

"Yes. Just tell me what you want to, or can."

"I was in a combat zone several times that year, and one of those times, I didn't know until I arrived that I was pregnant." JJ started without any preamble. "Then there was an explosion. I woke up in a field hospital with injuries later. I only ever told one of my comrades that I was pregnant, and he had the unfortunate duty of telling me that the baby was gone. I fell apart."

Sandy's heart had risen into her throat by the time JJ had paused to her reaction. She understood that JJ had withheld some things because she had to. She even respected that. What she _hadn't_ expected was to still hear so much.

Her baby girl was a warrior and a survivor.

"Jennifer, I am so incredibly sorry that those things happened, and my heart aches that you have a baby in Heaven. Did you want the little one?"

"I'd never wanted anything more." JJ sighed. "I'm not done yet. That was just the setup for _how_ I got the scar on the stomach."

"Dear God."

"About a year later, my comrade and I were abducted by one of our other comrades from the combat zone. _He _was working with the man who had rigged the explosion." JJ worked hard to not let her closure get ripped open. "I got the brunt of the injuries, but I just won't say how that happened because you don't need that in your head."

"Thank you for sparing me. This 'incident' is what led to he injury that led to the scar?"

"Unfortunately." JJ confessed. "My team realized that my comrade was gone, but Will realized that I was, and they worked together from there. The BAU even called in reinforcements."

A lightbulb went off over Sandy's head. "It was Emily. She told me that she once left a posting in London to come help you out."

"Correct again. My comrade was recused first that night, but the second Emily cut me free, I left to go chase the man who had taken me."

Sandy was hanging on to every word. "What became of the other man? The one you didn't chase?"

"He died." JJ said shortly. "Emily found me first, after I'd engaged the man in combat on the building rooftop."

"You did _what?"_ Sandy sputtered.

"I engaged this man in combat on the building rooftop." JJ repeated calmly. "Emily engaged him in a firefight when she caught up. She also pulled me up when I came close to falling off the roof. My abductor actually did fall. He didn't survive."

Sandy regarded her daughter with complete awe all over again. She'd been through so much, just to get right back up. It was as if JJ was indestructible.

Now, after everything that JJ had just told her, Sandy was the proudest of her she'd ever been. Her daughter was her hero.

"I love you. I'm in awe that you've survived everything you have. You're brave. You're a warrior. You're a survivor. You _are_ the strongest person I know, and I can't believe that your father and I made you. You're perfect." Sandy caressed her offspring's cheeks. "I'm _so_ proud of you, Jennifer."

That was all it took for JJ's dam to break.

It had been a long time since she'd had a good cry, and she couldn't be more thankful that her mother was there to catch her this time. Remembering that she was a person ahead of being an FBI agent could be hard.

Sandy held JJ as she cried.

It also gave her time to think: all of the secret-sharing meant that she would have to tell JJ her deepest secret. She deserved it. And she was finally at a point in her life where she could understand it.

When JJ's tears had stopped somewhat, Sandy helped her to get cleaned up. She even readjusted JJ's oxygen line when she noticed it had been fallen out. Clearly, she was making a show of stalling.

And JJ didn't have to be a profiler to see it.

She caught Sandy's hand in both of hers. "Mom, what are you thinking?"

Sandy sat with her again. "I'm going to tell you something that's going to be one of there hardest things I've ever had to say to you before."

"You can do it." JJ encouraged.

"A miscarriage is a horrible, painful, and saddening experience. I am _so_ sorry it happened to you. I…" Sandy paused to choose her words carefully. "I know firsthand why I wouldn't wish that experience on another woman."

JJ gasped as she realized what her norther was driving at.

More hugs were had.

"I'm sorry it happened to _you,"_ JJ sympathized. "But I have to ask…"

"When?" Sandy guessed.

"Yeah."

"You were nine. Remember when we sent you and Roz to stay with Uncle Soren and Aunt Celestine for the summer, on Hilton Head Island?"

"Yes." JJ answered. "My leg had healed. The next thing I know, we're taking a road trip to D.C. as a family, and when we're there, you and dad are putting Roz and I on a train. Did the miscarriage happen before that?"

"A week before—they offered to keep you two while I recovered. We told you and Roz that it was bonding time with your South Carolina cousins because we couldn't think of anything else to say. Do you still remember that summer?"

"Very clearly—we _were_ gone from June to the end of August. I even came back with an accent like yours. It took awhile to get rid of…"

"That summer was the beginning of the end for your father and I. He understood that the miscarriage was a spontaneous event beyond my control or his, but… he wouldn't hear of trying again. At all." Sandy exhaled heavily as she fought back her own old anger she'd worked too hard on conquering. "I begged him, especially after your sister was gone, and even all the way up until that last day. Clifford always refused."

JJ's heart jumped as she began doing mental math. "And how old would my sibling be today?"

"Twenty-seven, come June. They'd only be two years older than August and Katherine."

"Then _that's_ why you were so irate about them for those eighteen years." JJ realized.

"Knowing that Roz had to die for August and Katherine to come into the universe did a number on my head for a long time, but now I've seen just how much you love them. They aren't related to me, but they are to you, to your sibling in Heaven, and to Roz. I've accepted that." Sandy offered JJ a small smile. "I allowed myself to _finally _start healing when you called me to say that August had reached out to you, Jenny. You gave me the courage that I had never been able to find until then."

JJ's heart was welling with emotion all over again. She'd never doubted that her mother loved her, but this was the first time in her memory that Sandy had ever expressed affection of _this_ magnitude. JJ had no idea what to say.

Sandy continued.

"Seeing you together with your brother and sister will help me to completely heal. I will be the happiest that I can be, knowing that Roz and the little one have been smiling down on their earthbound siblings from Heaven. I've always imagined that they worked together to make sure your heart would be happy when the twins finally came into your life. All of that makes _my_ heart happy."

There was a joy in JJ's eyes when she spoke next—a kind that Sandy hadn't seen from her daughter in far too long. Yet another fog had been lifted.

"Oh, mom." JJ breathed. "Thank you. I love you _so_ much."

Sandy's heart turned a cartwheel. She had many memories of her being lovey-dovey as a child. Now that she was an adult, it was often that she saw her with a childlike view of anything. Even love.

So Sandy vowed to soak in every moment with could.

For that, she hugged JJ closer.

"I love you, too, Jennifer. Nothing will or _can_ ever change that."


	8. Chapter 8

_Are you on a case?_

This was the text Emily found on her phone after a call to Penelope, to update her on information to search with. Covering every base was of the utmost importance. At this point, Emily just wanted to stay the course of the investigation without any more interruptions where her personal life was concerned.

She felt a genuine stab of annoyance at the sight of a text from her boyfriend.

But she still stopped to answer him. _Yes, but it's in town. What's up?_

_Can I see you tonight? It's really important. _

Emily went from annoyed to curious. _Are you in trouble?_

_No. Nothing of the sort. It's just really important. _

_I'm not feeling my most tip-top today, but why don't you come over at eight?_

_Okay. See you then. _

Pleased, the profiler stuck her phone in her pocket. Now she had a timeframe for coming back to the hospital to find out if she was delusional or not, processing the results, and going back home again to wait for Andrew. She would only have to be Emily.

These thoughts preoccupied her all the way to room 305. She arrived to find JJ and Sandy pulling apart from a hug.

Emily asked them, "Are you two alright? I can come back."

"We're fine." JJ motioned to her friend. "Come sit, Em."

She pulled a chair up to the bedside.

Sandy remained where she was with JJ. "Is this the part where you ask me what I'm doing in D.C. in the first place?"

"Yes," Emily said. "And even if JJ is in bed, she's still my partner. Just be open."

"I can do that."

"Also—thank you for bearing with us through the craziness that has been today."

"I'm always up for an adventure." Sandy said. "I also didn't want to leave without visiting Jenny, or giving you _all _of the information you've been after. Each of us have been waylaid for different reasons."

"Understatement of the year…" JJ muttered.

Sandy ignored this. "Let's think now—I came to town for an event over at the convention center by the White House."

Emily began taking notes. "What is the event, exactly?"

"It's a large swap meet. Whoever thought of the name was just plain unoriginal because it's called TradeCon."

"Yeah, that's definitely not very original." Emily agreed. "Why come to D.C.? Is East Allegheny too small for a swap meet?"

"Shockingly, no, but everybody knows everything about everybody—including unique things that someone else owns. I prefer _variety_ for what I collect."

"What's that? I collect USMC pins, comic books, and anklets. I also know how to knit."

"I collect rare books, and unique journals because I love to read and write." Sandy elaborated. "I run the main library in East Allegheny."

"That's really neat. How long is the event?"

"Three days. I'm off on an adventure to South Carolina."

"Who lives there?" Emily said curiously.

"My siblings. I'm going to see them."

"Well, that's nice. What were you doing by the station house?"

That part of the day seemed so trivial now. Sandy had almost forgotten.

"Oh, that—there's a drug store at the end of that block. I went to get something I left at home."

Sandy looked to JJ with an arched eyebrow.

_"__Don't. _You have that look that says you were about to lob a complaint in my direction."

Emily snickered. "Quit while you're ahead and just say what you're thinking. Even I saw the look that your mother is talking about."

"Okay, fine." JJ looked to her mother. "Were you going to drop _me_ a line about being in town?

"Yes, but I planned on being at my hotel first. Telling you before would have ruined the whole thing." Sandy said smoothly. "The fact that I wound up near Will's building was a happy coincidence. Feel better?"

JJ relented. "I do. Thanks, mom."

Emily examined her notes, making sure she'd gotten everything for the sake of the investigation. "It looks like we have everything we need now. Is your hotel in town?"

Sandy nodded. "Yes, but I left all my luggage at the station."

"There's an officer from the station outside the room here. I'll make sure he brings you to wherever you need to go."

"Thank you; that's really kind." Sandy said in surprise. "I hailed a taxi from the train station and asked the driver to bring me to the nearest drug store. That's how I ended up over there."

Emily made a clicking sound with her tongue. "Gotcha."

"By the way, Emily, I met the nicest couple when the train made a connection in New York."

"Is that so?"

"Elizabeth and Fitzhugh say hello. They're very charming people."

Emily winked. "That's my parents described in two words. Why is my world so small?"

"Besides having a child in the FBI, there's another thing that I have in common with your parents."

"They're also going to the event?"

"Correct. We're even going out for cocktails later."

"Have fun, but change the topic if my father starts talking about where he grew up. I got my crazy streak from him." Emily warned. "You'll want something stronger than _cocktails_ when you hear about his growing-up years in the English countryside."

"Message received." Sandy said in amusement. "Thanks for that."

Emily gave her a mock salute. "We're family now."

JJ wanted to ask exactly what Emily meant by this, but didn't get a chance because there was a knock on the door. Hannah had arrived.

"Is it alright if I visit for a little bit?" she asked tentatively.

JJ moved into a sitting position. "Yes! Come in!"

Emily and Sandy backed away to watch as Hannah drew level with her stepdaughter.

She spoke softly. "Hi, JJ. How are you?"

"A lot better than before I had my panic attack, thank goodness. The doctor said I can even get out of here soon."

JJ guided Hannah to sit on the bed. She needed her to be physically closer.

"I want to tell you something, Hannah." she said.

"Yes?"

"Learning about the twins when they were already adults hurt me almost as bad as getting abandoned by dad. I was also very mad about being kept in the dark about August and Katherine." JJ said seriously. "I won't lie about that."

Hannah showed her compassion. "I understand—you have every right to have those feelings, no matter how old you are, JJ. I am _so _sorry that you were hurt. When did you start having a change of heart?"

"When I saw how saw my poor mother felt as she told me about August and Katherine. I wanted to be angry that she agreed to keep the secret for so long, but it wasn't worth it when I saw how torn up she was about something she hadn't even done."

JJ fiddled with a loose thread in her blanket. She needed something to do with her hands just then.

"My _actual_ change of heart happened when I was visited by August and Katherine in the same week. They're so perfect. Now I love them like I've known them forever." JJ let the thread go and offered Hannah a kind smile. "I forgave my mother after she told me everything. So… I'm forgiving _you." _

Hannah's heart jumped into her throat. She hadn't been expecting along these lines at all.

"Oh, JJ, thank you." Hannah embraced her warmly. "That makes me incredibly happy to hear. I accept your forgiveness."

They hugged a little more before Hannah sat to face her again.

"I'm so glad that we've had this part of the conversation because I have something extremely special to share with you."

JJ gave Hannah's hand a gentle squeeze. "What is it?"

"You, August, and Katherine are going to be big siblings later this year. I'm going to have a baby."

Hannah watched JJ with some anxiety. The woman's entire world had been turned on its head today; one more big new discovery might freak her out all over again. That would just make everyone's day longer.

Imagine her surprise when JJ met her with joy.

"This is amazing—I'm so excited, and I know my husband will be, too."

Hannah could hardly believe her luck that JJ had responded this well. "What about your sons? They might get confused."

"My boys are extremely clever. They'll understand when we explain it to them." JJ reassured her. "It'll more fun to watch them digest the concept of the babies all being the same age."

"The three of them will have known each other for their entire lives, and they haven't even been born yet..." Hannah said thoughtfully.

They continued on in conversation. A friendship was forging.

Meanwhile, Sandy thoughts had now turned to Emily. She looked troubled. Her "I'm fine" issue was on the verge of boiling over.

It was just a matter of when.

Sandy watched Emily as she observed the scene in front of them. The agent was even holding both of her hands to her middle. They were even splayed the way a mother protected the precious cargo. Her baby.

The look on Emily's face was even full of just one thing: longing. And not just any kind. This was _deep_ longing. An expectant mother was happy and blissful didn't behave this was. A woman desperate for a dream that was just out of reach did.

Or… one who didn't or couldn't see what was right under her nose.

Emily _was_ pregnant, but had no idea.

It was up to Sandy to keep her from falling down a rabbit hole.

In a show of understanding, she patted Emily's hands in a comforting way as she walked past her. She needed to know that the world wasn't over.

When Sandy made it to the bed again, JJ fell quiet at once. She knew exactly what was coming. This moment had also been imagined many times in her head.

"H-hello, officially." Hannah stammered as she rose to her feet. "I don't know what to say."

"Hello worked. I'm happy to meet you."

"Really? You are?"

"I am. You made two people who JJ loves deeply, and a third who is coming." Sandy said. "Being loved by JJ is really something special. Trust me, Hannah—if she can love her siblings _and_ make friends with you, then I really _am_ happy to meet you."

Hannah's heart felt like was doing jumping jacks. "Thank you."

"I can still be civil around him because we still have a daughter in common, but I'm happy to be friends with you because we don't have a long history together. JJ is also your daughter in the eyes of the law. I won't get in the way of that because we're all adults here." Sandy said to her. "It's time to start a new chapter in the family history."

Hannah sobered up—none of what Sandy had just said was by any means light. "I get it. I also promise I won't ever try anything sly."

"Thank _you." _Sandy held out a hand to Hannah. "Friends?"

Hannah shook her hand. "Friends."

In a surprise move, Sandy hugged Hannah like they'd known each other for years. Mutual goodwill was paramount from this day forward. For the good of the family.

Even though it was as backward as it was.

JJ burst into tears, overwhelmed by what was happening. It was a lot to take in.

Emily sat with her and held her. "It's okay, Jayje. It's all okay. Just breathe."

With comfort from Emily and both of her mothers, JJ was feeling as right as rain after a few minutes. It was as if a new chapter had started in her life.

"Is there any room for us?" came a new voice.

August had arrived now. He had Olivia in his arms, but beside him was a woman whom JJ had only ever seen a picture of. Aurora, August's wife. Lucy was even half-hiding behind her. These people were more of JJ's big family. How she loved them.

"You bet there's room, August. Please come here so we can make introductions."

August hugged his big sister as soon as she was within reach.

JJ asked first, "Is Olivia still asleep?"

August nodded and showed her. "This kid has been a heavy sleeper for her entire life."

"Then you and Aurora are good to keep taking care of her?"

"Yes. Don't worry, JJ."

"Okay." JJ sighed. "I just had to ask."

She motioned between from her brother to her mother as she spoke, addressing them each in turn.

"August, this is my mother, Alexandra Leviticus." she said. "Mom, this is my precious brother, August."

The significance of who Sandy was, in the grand scheme of things, was not lost on August. This woman was the mother of both of his big sisters. August had never before been able to envision meeting his older sisters' mother. Yet… here she was.

"Hi." he greeted her.

"Hello, August. You can call me Sandy—everyone else does." she held his face in her hands. "How are you? Nervous?"

"Yes. I am."

"Don't be. All I want is to be friends. Would you like that?"

August nodded. "Yes. I really would."

"Okay, then. Consider us friends now." Sandy hugged him and then held him out at arm's length. "Everything _will_ work out because JJ's team is the very best at what they do."

All worry that August had had about his twin's case evaporated, just like that. He completely trusted Sandy's approval of the BAU.

"Thank you, Sandy." he said. "That's a big relief."

"Good. Now please finish introducing your family to your sister."

Amused by the straightforwardness, August moved to where his wife was standing. He put his hand in the small of her back and guided her forward. Aurora was almost as nervous as her husband had been.

"I'm Aurora." she said of herself. "I'm so happy to finally meet you."

Like her husband, Aurora Jareau also had the occupation of zookeeper. She even had a heavy English accent. Unlike August, Aurora was of Asian descent. This and a cute baby bump were two of the first things JJ noticed about her sister-in-law.

She smiled at her. "I'm happy to meet you, too."

"The feeling is mutual on Lucy's end." Aurora lifted her daughter into her arms. "She and Olivia were born on the same day. Michael was born within twenty-four hours of them."

"Oh, wow."

JJ turned her attention to her niece. Before today, it had been a long time since she'd been around a little girl.

"Lucy, do you know who I am?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes." Lucy blew her a kiss. "Auntie JJ."

"Would you like to come cuddle?"

Lucy nodded and leaned in JJ's direction. "Yes, please."

The toddler heeded JJ's compromised state and gave her a delicate kiss on the cheek as she was put on the bed.

"This is for you." she was extending a bag to her.

JJ was genuinely surprised, but took the offering. "How sweet, Lucy. What's in it?"

Lucy gave a nervous giggle. "Surprises!"

JJ opened the bag to reveal a stuffed otter and a stuffed turtle. Both of the toys were meant for kids, but JJ understood the gesture. She was very touched.

"Lucy, I love them!" JJ gushed.

The little girl trilled, "Good! Mumma said you share them with the babies in your tummy!"

Amused, JJ glanced at the adult Jareaus. August and Aurora were both looking sheepish, and they even took a collective step back. Hannah just laughed.

"They figured it out when they saw me in the gift shop. Lucy got attached to the toys, and insisted on giving them to you, herself. Is that alright?"

"Of course it is, and now my babies have their first toys. I love them. Thank you."

She looked to Lucy again, and gave her a hug.

"Thank _you."_

Lucy giggled again and let out a yawn. "I'm tired…"

"That's okay. Lay down and close your eyes."

Lucy did just that. She was out like a light.

Before she could let her imagination wander, JJ beckoned to Emily. She joined her immediately.

JJ spoke to August and Aurora. "This is my partner, Emily Prentiss. She's my best friend, and my partner. We're heading the investigation."

They thanked Emily profusely for looking for Katherine and the missing children. She accepted their thanks very graciously.

Once Emily saw them off and made arrangements for Sandy to get chauffeured to where she needed to be, she collapsed unceremoniously into the chair beside JJ's bed.

"So." JJ said simply.

Emily dearly would have loved to have said, "So, _what?"_ but chose not to because it would have just been an invitation for JJ to push her buttons.

"Yes?"

"How far along are you?"

Emily tried to be shocked. "I—what?"

JJ laughed humorlessly. "Don't play dumb with me, Emelise. You're pregnant."

"I _think_ I am." Emily rubbed her middle. "I also think this is the beginnings of a baby bump that I'm feeling, but I haven't had a chance to slow down, let alone _talk_ to Andrew."

Only JJ knew that Emily was dating at all. "Oh, boy."

"Precisely. Wouldn't you know it, though—Andrew sent me a text just a little bit ago."

JJ spoke in the tone of an impatient baby sister. "Well, what did he say?"

"He asked me if we were on a case. I said yes, and that we're in town. Then he asked me if he could come over to my place tonight."

"Was he specific about why?"

Emily shook her head. "He just said that it's important, so I told him to come over at eight."

"So you gave yourself a timeframe."

"Exactly…"

Emily's thoughts trailed off as she thought of another issue concerning her boyfriend. It was already giving her an uncomfortable amount of misgivings.

JJ spoke firmly to her. "Come on. Get everything off your chest before we have to go be profilers again."

"I want kids very much, Jennifer." she said after a beat. "Did you know that?"

"I've gathered that over the years, yes." she answered.

"If I _am_ pregnant right now, I'll be especially happy because I'm at a point where I have the means to give any kid of mine the best life possible." Emily rubbed her eyes. "Ask me how it went with Andrew during the one time I mentioned having kids."

"Okay. What happened?"

"Andrew gave me a vague answer and then just changed the subject." Emily said sadly. "I would love to be married so that my kids can grow up with two parents, but I wouldn't want that person to feel obligated to us."

A lightbulb went off over JJ's head. "Meaning that you can't be with someone who doesn't want kids, or else who gives you any kind of misgivings because that's an immediate deal-breaker?"

"Bingo. I mean, we haven't even said, "I love you," yet. What do I do?"

"You keep your feet planted on planet Earth for starters, and just get through the rest of the day. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other. That's it."

JJ reached for Emily's hand. Emily gave it to her.

"You _are_ my family, and so is any child of yours. Come to dinner at my house tomorrow if things go bad. You can hang out with us and play with the kids. We've got your back."

JJ felt like she was going to cry in a good way. "I love knowing that. Thank you."

Emily hugged her and stood.

"Where are you going?" JJ asked.

"To see what I can make happen to bust you out of this joint. I'll be right back."

* * *

It was in JJ's favor after a checkup that the doctor declared her fit to be released.

As Emily had ridden to the hospital in the ambulance, she and JJ were without a car. This was remedied by Captain Walsh driving from the station to pick them up. It was only a few blocks away.

JJ had just finished sending an update text to Will when Emily's phone rang. It was Penelope calling.

Emily put her phone on speaker. "PG, you're on speaker with me, Captain Walsh, and JJ!"

Penelope was momentarily distracted by the sound of the double initials.

"JJ, my sweet," she breathed. "How are you?"

JJ touched a hand to the swell in her middle as she felt the babies turn small flips, but she answered, "I'm doing really great. Will you tell us why you're calling?"

"Right." Penelope cleared her throat. "JJ, your father and stepmother came back."

"What the hell?!" she protested. "We _just_ saw them!"

"There was a rebroadcast of Katherine's missing persons report."

Just as quickly, JJ relaxed. "Ah. That would do it."

"Focus!" Emily called. "What else did you call about?"

"The parents of the Salazar, Coleman, Goldberg, and Ridley families are also here. Everyone just showed up with the last few minutes." Penelope informed them. "They also saw the broadcast about Katherine."

"And they were all uncooperative before when it came to any follow-up. This is progress." Emily remarked. "Are you the only BAU person at the station right now?"

"Yes." Penelope realized with a start. "What do I do?"

"Just introduce yourself, move them to an empty meeting room, and tell them we're on the way. Alright?"

"Okay, E! PG over and out!"

Both parties hung up.

JJ breathed a sigh of relief. It was time to be a profiler again.


	9. Chapter 9

When Emily and JJ made it back to the station with Captain Walsh, they found that Penelope had done exactly as instructed.

"Which room did you put the parents in?" Walsh asked. "The gathering room at the end?"

"Yes, and a new development happened while you were away, m'am." Penelope said to Walsh.

"Really? I was only gone for twenty m—never mind. What went down?"

"Two dead bodies were just called in, about a block apart from each other. Both men were discovered with yellow yarn tied around their wrists."

"Par for the course, because that's what Olivia Spelling had."

"Exactly." Penelope looked to Emily and JJ. "Tara and Matt are the morgue, Reid is overseeing a crime scene with Will and Primrose, and Rossi is at the other crime scene. Luke is with him."

"Got it." JJ glanced at Walsh. "I know you're the hands-on type. Why don't you have Penelope help you figure out where you want to go? Emily and I are going to go direct a group interview."

"Okay. We'll catch up later."

Captain Walsh agreed that this was a good idea, so they parted ways.

"I asked Penelope to the scour the area where Katherine was taken from, to check for security cameras." Emily told JJ. "She discovered that Katherine and Olivia were nabbed from a shopping mall."

JJ furrowed her brow. "But even _Clifford_ said that they would have only been down here for that support group."

"He did say that," Emily agreed. "But we definitely have that footage on camera. It's just fuzzy because the nineties called… and you get the rest."

"I do, but I have to admit that _that_ is a decade I wish I could cleanse my soul of." JJ deadpanned. "Except for Coachella. And Burning Man."

Emily arched an eyebrow, nonplussed. "You did _what?"_

"I had to have _some_ fun before buckling down and focusing on FBI life." JJ winked. "I'm sure I have the pictures in the attic at home."

"Even after all these years, I learn something new about you all the time." Emily said in wonder. "Now let's move. And please keep your cool, JJ."

They had arrived at the room where the parents were waiting.

"Of course, Em. I'm all good."

Emily gave a nod of approval and held the door open for JJ.

They were met by Clifford and Hannah, as well as the parents of Dev Salazar, Esai Coleman, Dashel Goldberg, and Hope and Faith Ridley. All six couples rose to receive them. However, the tension in the air was thick enough to be cut with a knife.

"No need to stand on our accounts." Emily made motions for everyone to resume their seats at the conference table. "I'm Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss, and with me is my partner, SSA Jennifer Jareau."

She spoke up. "We know two of you at this table, but we need everyone to help us to understand what happened—you all heard the rebroadcast of Katherine Spellings' missing persons report?"

"That's exactly what happened." Mister Salazar said. "Each of us made the choice to come here, after that."

His wife backed him up. "We—that is to say, my husband and I—heard through the grapevine that the parents of those other children don't want to be involved now. Is that correct?"

"Uh-huh." Emily said. "None of the parents want put their children through the trauma again. They want to put it behind them."

_"We_ want _our_ babies back, to help _them_ heal. I'm sure everyone else here would agree."

The Colemans, Goldbergs, and Ridleys all gave murmurs of agreement to Missus Salazar's proclamation. Clifford and Hannah just nodded silently. Being in the same room as the rest of the parents of the missing kids made everything surreal. Neither Jareau was sure of what to say.

Their child in the situation was an adult. The rest of the children were actual young children.

Mister Coleman spoke before JJ or Emily could speak, motioning to the Jareaus.

"What_ I _would like to know is who _they_ are." he said. "They haven't spoken a word."

"Oh, don't be rude, Osiris." Missus Coleman hissed at him. "They must also be here for a reason."

Both of the Colemans, and the Salazars, Goldbergs, and Ridleys turned to the people they hoped had some kind of clue.

Clifford told the group, "Hannah and I are Katherine's parents. We don't know anything more than any of you about all this."

"We just haven't been sure of what to say," Hannah tacked on. "Because there's been another hiccup on top of what's happened with Katherine."

Mister Golberg blanched. "In what way?"

With nods of permission from Emily and JJ, Hannah continued. "Katherine's three-year-old—our granddaughter—was also taken, but she was brought back. We think she was let go."

"Wow…"

"And where is your granddaughter now?" pressed Missus Goldberg.

"Olivia is with our son and his family. She's fast asleep at the moment because she's too exhausted, I'm afraid."

"Oh. That's okay—we understand."

Across the table, Mister Coleman spoke thoughtfully now. "This all means there's hope for the rest of the kids, right? Since Olivia was let go and found safe?"

JJ and Emily were watching this conversation unfold.

They met all kinds of people while out on cases, and they had truly seen every kind of reactions parents could possibly to any bad news. Today was different. Of course, the rest of the parents were extremely worried about their missing children, but nobody was hysterical. It was as if Clifford's and Hannah's presence was generating a calming effect.

As JJ surveyed everyone, she realized that neither of the Ridleys had contributed to the conversation after agreeing that all they wanted was the safe return of their children. Perhaps _they_ were the key.

JJ spoke to Missus Ridley, a younger woman, because she was the closest in proximity to her. "What are you thinking?"

"Have your people figured out yet how old our girls just turned?" Missus Ridley asked.

"Indeed we have. What day _exactly_ was it?"

"The day before yesterday—the girls' party was themed for their favorite TV show. Has your team dealt with children before today?"

"Many times because it's actually one of our specialties. We're doing everything we can to make sure that everyone is returned safe and sound."

These words gave Missus Riley some comfort. "Thank you. Are you a mom?"

"I am."

"Then you get the worry we're feeling."

JJ nodded. "I really do understand."

Missus Riley turned to her husband to see he had a far-off look in his eyes. "Kent, now is _hardly_ the time to go quiet."

"I'm sorry, Spring." he told her.

Kent Ridley then regarded the FBI agents.

"You two are partners, right? What division do you belong to?"

"The Behavioral Analysis Unit, out of Quantico." JJ answered him. "Did you need something, Mister Ridley?"

He shook his head. "No, but you said that you and your partner know a couple at this table, right? Would it be Katherine's parents? They're the eldest and quietest here."

JJ sighed. "We know the Jareaus because they are my father and stepmother."

"It's true." Hannah substantiated. "And our child is just like the rest of yours: missing in action."

Clifford nodded. "Right now, our other daughter is the one to look to. She _is_ the best."

JJ's heart instantly took a nosedive in surprise at this last part—it had been a long time since she'd heard anything like a compliment from her father. He really did care. Even if it was extremely deep down.

JJ cleared her throat. "It's too early to know exactly is going on, but we have gathered that everyone in the same place. They're also somewhere in town."

Emily backed her up. "To that end, our team has teamed up with MPD so that we can get to the bottom of all this. There is just one thing that my partner and I need clarified for the moment."

"What's that, please?" Missus Coleman asked quickly.

"Have any of you known each other—other than to whom you're married—before today?"

Everybody said no.

Emily stood, with JJ following suit. The others followed their example.

"We have every bit of confidence that they are going to be found today, and that Katherine will be with them." Emily said confidently. "All of you are welcome to stay here at the station, but we just ask that you don't leave D.C. if you do choose to leave."

Almost everyone elected to followed Emily out. One parent remained behind, lingering near the doorway. Something was worrying her.

JJ approached the woman. "Is there something you wanted to tell me, Missus Ridley?"

She laughed softly. "Just call me Spring—that's my name."

"Alright, Spring. What's on your mind?"

"I promise you that Kent _does_ care, but I'm the one who wears their heart on their sleeve." she began. "Our girls are best friends, and totally inseparable. They think the world of each other. Good thing, too."

"Why's that?" JJ asked curiously.

"Faith is deaf, but she speaks and signs. Hope is very patient with her about it. Hey, _is_ it true that Katherine Spelling is your stepsister?"

"It's as true as the day is long."

"Then do you think there's a chance she'd look after the kids right now? Since she's a mother, and they're all in the same place?"

Of the many things JJ knew about her sister, one surefire fact was that Katherine was extremely maternal.

"Those chances are one hundred percent. Have your daughters ever spent a night away from you and your husband?"

"No." said Spring.

She took a beat to gather her thoughts.

"Take your time." JJ encouraged. "I won't judge."

"The girls are _my _first kids, but we also have Zephyr—he's from Kent's first marriage." Spring drew closer to JJ now. "I love my stepson. I really do. Sadly, he's a wildcard and it's like he can't keep his nose clean to save his life. Kent is just too proud to admit that his only son is rough around the edges."

"Every parent wants to see only the best in their child. Is your stepson local?"

"He is, and look into him if you have to. Just don't be shocked if Kent gets defensive."

"Okay. I'll take that under advisement." JJ said. "Is there anything more?"

Spring answered her question with a question. "You said that you're a mom?"

"I am. I have two sons at home, and," JJ pointed to her middle. "Two more kids in here."

"Love your kids. Never take your eyes off them while they're around, so you don't mess up like we did." Spring deposited some things from her purse into JJ's hands. "Will you make sure whoever gets to Faith and Hope first gives these to them? They're their most treasured toys in the world."

The toys in question were a pair of adorable handmade rag dolls.

JJ held them tightly. "I will. Thank you for trusting me."

"You're welcome." Spring looked around. "Where did your partner take everyone else?"

"I'm sure they're close by."

Emily had made quick work of turning one of the station's many conference rooms into a sort of waiting area of sorts. There were plenty of chairs, a table of snacks, and a stack of folded-up blankets on one chair. Nobody had touched anything.

What made JJ shiver was that it was deadly quiet.

Emily exited the room to see her partner watching the couples.

She pulled her away so they could have some quiet. "What did Spring Ridley tell you?"

"That she's extremely concerned for Faith and Hope—they're her first children. It also turns out that the girls have a big brother."

"Is he from a previous relationship or marriage?"

"Yes. He's called Zephyr, and the way Spring described it, I was given the impression that he doesn't live at home."

"Alright. Penelope can look into him, but why don't you save the _whole_ story for when we're with her?"

"Good call." JJ agreed. "I've also learned that Faith is deaf, but she can speak and sign. Hope is very close to her. They sound like best friends."

"Well, at least there's that." Emily remarked in relief.

"Missus Ridley _also_ wanted to know if I thought Katherine would feel inclined to look after the children because Faith and Hope have never spent a night away from home before."

"All the more motivation to find them today..."

"Hey, did you notice anything in particular about Mister Ridley?"

"No." Emily replied after a pause. "He strikes me as the reserved sort, but from what I gathered from, he's as worried as his wife is. Why?"

"It's about Zephyr again." JJ said sheepishly.

"Understood." Emily pointed to the rag dolls as they began walking again. "Where did those come from, Jayje?"

"Spring Ridley—they belong to the twins. She wanted the girls to have something familiar when they're found." JJ gave her partner a 'I'm doing everything I can to not burst into tears' look. "Emelise, this case is really screwing with me. Should I hold on to the toys?"

"Yes." Emily decided. "Let's go find Penelope."

They found the tech analyst squirreled away at her computer in the main conference room. She was focused on her task of clearing up the abduction footage, so she didn't notice Emily and JJ join her.

Their arrival caused Penelope to have such a start that she felt like she was going to jump out of her skin.

"Woah, PG." Emily said as they sat with her. "Easy does it."

JJ moved Penelope's travel mug of hot coffee out of reach. "Maybe you should cut back on the caffeine, hm?"

"Right." Penelope gave her friends her utmost attention. "Have you two spoken to those other families yet?"

"We certainly have, and we've learned some things."

"I'm all ears."

Together, the duo told her what they'd learned during the group interview. JJ even showed her the rag dolls.

"Missus Ridley also told me an interesting fact about her family to she told me I should look into."

Penelope opened the research program on her laptop. "Go."

"Spring Ridley, the twins' mother, told me that her husband has a song from a previous marriage named Zephyr. She described him a wildcard."

"Yikes. What else did she say?"

"Her words were, 'it's like he can't keep his nose clean to save his life.' Am I the only one getting 'wrong side of the law' vibes?"

"No." Penelope and Emily chimed in unison.

"Good." JJ spoke directly to Penelope now. "I would presume that a Zephyr's last name is also Ridley. Why don't you give that a spin first?"

Emily added, "Please cast your net to include surrounding areas, namely the ones where everyone has been taken from."

"One moment…"

Penelope input the search parameters, and she was rewarded with lightning-fast results.

"I—"

She was interrupted by the arrival of Luke, of all people.

Emily looked at her subordinate in surprise. "Alvez, you're back already?"

He nodded. "I am, and Rossi is off with Will and Primrose…"

He was very flighty, but Emily knew this as his 'confused, but working my way to a hot clue' expression.

"Cough it up." Emily warned.

Luke spat out his answer very quickly. "We have a visitor."

"Okay, but what's got you acting like this?"

"Come see." Luke beckoned to his colleagues. "All three of you."

They followed him to the hallway, where he went to stand beside the person in question. She was young, dressed professionally, and even sporting a sharp leather messenger bag. The woman even bore a very strong resemblance to Luke.

The profiler noticed his friends digesting all this and took the initiative in continuing the conversation.

"Emily, JJ, Penelope, this is my younger sister, Bex Alvez. She's new in town." Luke turned to her. "These are some of the people I work with. We've got my CO, her partner, and our all-knowing fact finder. Tell them what you told me."

Bex Alvez exhaled noisily. "I'm part of the reason that Katherine and Olivia came down from Baltimore today."


	10. Chapter 10

For the second time that day, JJ experienced a very loud silence. No one in her life could do _anything_ small. Not even strangers.

She spoke to Bex first. "I'm Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer Jareau, and with me is my partner, SSA Emily Prentiss, and our technical analyst, Penelope Garcia. All three of us work with your brother."

"I see." Bex remarked. "Luke has mentioned the BAU before, and he's told us everybody's names. It's great to finally see who is who."

"We appreciate you coming to see us." JJ told her. "Would you like anything before we get started? Coffee? Tea?"

Bex politely declined. "No, but thank you. That's very nice."

Taking care not to let the Jareaus or the other families notice that a new person had arrived, JJ took the lead in escorting Bex to the conference room they'd just vacated. Penelope followed. Emily was beside her. Luke tagged along for good measure.

"How do you know Katherine and Olivia?" Emily asked when they had all settled at the table. "No answer is wrong."

"Katherine is more the one I know, but only from a professional standpoint—I'm a real estate agent. I've sold her the house that she and Olivia are going to move in to."

Emily, Penelope, and Luke immediately looked to JJ.

"Did you know Katherine had plans to move out here?" Luke asked her.

JJ shook her head. "No. I guess she was going to surprise me."

"And now I've ruined it." Bex fretted.

"I'm sure Katherine will forgive you." Penelope consoled her.

Emily nodded. "She will. Bex, did you ever have a chance to meet Katherine's husband?"

"I did, and I sent flowers when I found out that he was killed in action." Bex answered truthfully. "Philemon and Katherine attended multiple showings of the house, but they were the only party that consistently held the highest bid. The two of them were all about the long game."

"So I take it that today's meeting was to have been about officially closing the deal?" Emily deduced.

"Yes, and the meeting was meant to have been at eleven-thirty. I waited for them when they didn't show on time."

"When did you make the choice to come in?" Luke asked Bex.

"When I saw the missing persons alert that just happened, since it's the kind that gets broadcasted through everyone's phones because of the emergency alert system."

The others knew exactly what she was talking about because they'd also gotten the same alert.

JJ spoke in a kind tone to Bex. "You're doing so good. We really appreciate it."

"I've helped?" Bex's tone was laden heavy with skepticism.

"Yes—you've helped establish a timeline of Katherine's movements. Did she happen to mention any stops she would be making beforehand?"

"She said that she wanted to stop at the mall, so she could purchase pajamas for Olivia because… oh…"

A dot seemed to have connected in Bex's head that previously hadn't.

"Keep going." Emily prompted.

"Katherine told me that the main reason Olivia needed new pajamas is because she's going through a major growth spurt. What's at home doesn't fit, apparently." Bex revealed. "She also said that they're going to be staying in town for a few days because really wanted to see her sister."

JJ rubbed her temples. _"I'm _her sister. Do you know where Katherine had reservations for a hotel? Or if she had any?"

Finally, Bex shook her head. "No, but the new house is in Capitol Hill. Maybe you guys can check things out over there."

"That's a great call. We'll check on that; thank you."

Bex perked up at the praise. "You're very welcome. It's my pleasure to help the FBI—especially Luke's people."

_DING!_

Anything more that Bex could have said was interrupted by a chiming sound coming from a smart watch that she was wearing. She promptly sat up straighter and started to gather her things.

"That was a reminder that I have a showing at a different property to prep for." Bex informed her company. "Is there anything else you need?"

Emily shook her head. "No, but you did the right thing by stopping over here."

"You've been a really big help." JJ added. "Thank you."

Penelope chimed in, "We have a lot to work with now."

Bex got to her feet and shook hands with Emily, JJ, and Penelope. "I'm pleased I could help, although I'm sorry that we had to meet under this kind of a circumstance. I wish you the best of luck with everything that's happening."

"Thank you." JJ repeated. "I'm sure we will meet again."

Emily looked over at Luke. "Please report back here after you see Bex off, alright?"

Luke also rose to his feet. "Yes, boss."

The Alvezes closed the door behind them when they left. Emily and JJ immediately fell back in their seats. It was time for a quick breather.

Penelope noticed her friends' behavior at once. "Are you two alright?"

"No." the duo said together.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

They voiced their answer in unison a second time. "No."

Now Penelope _really_ knew that something was up—JJ and Emily rarely withheld anything from her. They were truly having a mental block of some kind. Penelope didn't even question it. She just trusted that whatever it was, her friends would work together to conquer the problem. Everything would turn out just fine.

Because it always did.

"Okay." she decided. "Until you both work out whatever it is that's got you like this, I will stand guardian and not tell anyone that this moment happened."

"Penelope, thank you." Emily said with complete sincerity. "You are the best."

JJ nodded in an agreement, although she was rubbing her temples again. "I can only think of Katherine. My biggest hope is that she's warm now."

* * *

Katherine Hannah Spelling was far from warm. She was cold. Very, very cold. She was also more scared than she had ever been in her life before.

Like always, life had thrown a humongous wrench in her plans. She and Olivia were now victims of a human trafficking ring.

Mostly to avoid heinous parking charges, they had set out from Baltimore by train, and utilized various methods of public transportation once they were in town. The last part had seemed like a good idea when Katherine had first thought of it.

To reach the stop for the bus they needed, the Spellingses had to travel through the shopping mall's main parking garage. This was where they ran into trouble.

The abductors had first tried to take Olivia quietly, to a van that was was waiting for them nearby. To the little girl's credit, she immediately screamed bloody murder. So did Katherine. She didn't stop because she was desparate for someone to notice.

No one did.

As means to shut her up, the men forced Katherine into the van after Olivia.

Her screams changed to pleas and persisting all the way to their destination—a somewhat rundown house in what she would later learn was a very seedy neighborhood.

They were forced out of the van and into a house garage of some kind. She had no earthly idea as to their location because they had ridden around for awhile.

This was when Katherine made her final bid. Not for her own release, but for Olivia's. Nobody deserved this.

Especially a child.

The abductors didn't even let the Spellingses have a final good-bye to each other. They were thoughtlessly forced apart before they had a chance for anything like a hug. Olivia was too stricken with shock to say anything. Poor Katherine could only fall to her knees in utter despair as the van left and the garage door closed.

* * *

She wasn't alone for long. A boy in his late teens emerged from the house, and into the garage.

"Who the hell are you?" Katherine squawked as she was hauled roughly to her feet.

"I'm Zephyr." the boy growled. "Where did Asa and Wyatt go?"

Tears poured down Katherine's cheeks. "I asked them to let my girl go, but they didn't even let me hug her or tell me where they're bringing her."

"Tough luck. Now come on—I have a job for you."

Zephyr proceeded to frogmarch Katherine across the garage and force her through a trap door in the floor. At the end of a journey down a long ladder, they landed in a secondary basement of sorts. Katherine shuddered as she tried not to think about how far underground they were. She also did her best not to gag on what she was sure was the smell of dried urine.

What made Katherine's heart fall out of her chest was that there was a group of young, terrified, teary-eyed children standing before her. She had no idea who any of them were.

Katherine whirled around to look at Zephyr. "Who are these kids?"

"Never you mind, or would you rather I turn you loose? We're in the middle of nowhere. Who knows what you'd encounter out there."

Katherine didn't know that she was being lied to, so her fear intensified. Zephyr's threat also forced her hand about something.

"Please don't hurt me!" she blurted. "I might be pregnant!"

A twisted, maniacal grin crept over Zephyr's face. "Well, well—that _certainly_ sweetens the deal. Unless you want me to turn you loose, you won't ask any more questions. You'll also babysit them."

Katherine surrendered. "Alright. I'll do whatever you want."

Zephyr sneered at her again. "Glad we're on the same page. I'll be right back."

He locked the door from the outside after exiting the room.

Katherine resigned herself to taking care of the other occupants in the room. She would be their mother until they were brought back to their families. They needed _some_ stability.

She counted ten kids—three boys and seven girls—of all different ages, races, and sizes. Most of them even seemed curious about her. Their new savior was a way for them to forget their current peril for a few moments.

Katherine did notice that each child was wearing a length of yarn around one wrist. She thought it was odd, but she had no idea of the Yarn Children case because her every day life kept her too busy to read the local news every day. She had no idea that half of the children in front of her were being searched for, or that nobody knew of the second half at all.

"My name is Katherine. I won't hurt any of you." she knelt in front of the kids. "In fact, I'll take care of each of you while we're here. How does that sound?"

_"Way_ good." said one the girls.

"What's your name?" Katherine asked her.

"I'm Hope." she put her hands on the shoulders of an identical beside her. "This is Faith. We're three."

"Is that so?" Katherine said in a tone of being very impressed. "My baby girl is also three, and she loves elephants."

Katherine hugged Hope in reassurance before moving to face Faith.

"Hi, Faith. Are you shy?"

_"Kinda."_ she admitted. "I have help to hear."

Faith showed Katherine a pair of pink hearing aids that she was wearing.

"What do you think?" she moved a stray lock of her long dark hair behind one ear. "Do you like them?"

It was clear that Faith was looking for approval. Katherine gave it to her immediately.

"I _love_ them, and I think it's awesome that they're pink."

Faith did a little victory dance at this. "Pink is my favorite color, and Hope loves green."

Katherine spoke to her in a playfully conspiratorial tone. "My daughter loves pink, and I love green. What do you think of _that?"_

Both Ridley twins were both so deeply impressed that they both hugged their new friend. Katherine could make them happy.

None of the other kids approached yet, but they were also feeling safe now. That was enough.

Zephyr came back with food for everyone, after while. It was very poor, but Katherine didn't complain. She just ate her fill and saw to it that her charges managed what they could. Katherine also lobbied for a bathroom break, as their 'space' didn't have the proper facilities.

Her demand was granted because the rest of the house occupants would be awhile. Zephyr was dying to see what would happen when his boss came returned.

He shut them in the room again after that.

* * *

Hours passed.

The air grew colder.

Katherine was extremely relieved that there were a lot of beds and blankets in the room because the floor was very unappealing. She wanted her companions to be as comfortable as they could.

Faith and Hope were still the only ones displaying any physical affection towards Katherine, but the rest of the kids decided that sitting near her wouldn't be so bad. This proved to be a sound conclusion because she even started telling them fun stories as means to keep them occupied.

Unfortunately, the stories also ran their course after awhile.

Everyone was just sad and cold.

From under her blanket, Faith shivered. "I-I'm c-cold."

"Oh, I know." Katherine commiserated. "Come here."

Faith moved forward, and sat in her lap. Hope was already there. The rest of the children pressed closer to them.

"Will they find us?" Hope cried. "I'm so scared!"

Katherine held her close. "They'll find us, Hope. They will."

"You're sure?"

"I am."

Hope finally relaxed, and chose this moment to tell Katherine a vital piece of information. "You know the guy who brought us food? He's our big brother."

Katherine's heart lurched. "Oh, my."

"Do _you_ have a brother?"

"Yep, and I also have a big sister. I love both of them so much."

_"Good."_ Hope huffed.

Beside her, Faith sat up. She'd been squirming around on Katherine's lap for the past few minutes, trying to get comfortable. Something was in her way. It took her a moment to locate the source of her annoyance.

"What's on your arm?" she asked her protector.

Faith had been leaning against it, but Katherine had something there that was jutting into her back. She just couldn't readily identify the object in the gloom.

Katherine wanted to kick herself when she realized what Faith was talking about.

She spoke to all of the kids at large. "This is my smart watch! I forgot I had it on!"

"My mom and dad both have those!" Dashel Goldberg told her excitedly. "Can we text them?"

Katherine checked the battery level, only to see that it was quite low.

"We'd better not." she decided. "I'm going to text my big sister because the battery is almost out."

Dashel's face fell, but he didn't lose heart altogether. "Is your big sister the police?"

"Not quite—she's FBI. Do you know what that means?"

"The super special police, right?" the little boy guessed.

"That's right. Now hold on."

Thinking quickly, Katherine sent an SOS text to JJ. They were clearly in trouble, but her hope was that this would be enough help for someone to ping their location. The watch battery finally went out after the text went through.

"What now?" Dashel asked her.

Katherine heaved a sigh. "Now, we all cross our fingers and wait."

* * *

Over at the precinct, everyone was working extra hard to not freak out.

Even with Bex's help of an established timeline, it seemed as though they were at dead end after dead end. Now they were at a very solid brick wall.

Visiting Katherine's grief group turned out to be a bust, as was the hotel. Neither place had heard from her.

This day was truly going from bad to worse.

The MPD and BAU were at the station house again, filling each other in on what they'd learned while they'd all been apart. Both of the dead men were the people who had brought Olivia to the station, but this leap had yet to be made. Zephyr was in the wind. Even the fully-scrubbed footage of the abduction ultimately led to nothing but _another_ dead end.

* * *

Just as Emily found herself wondering if she would have to ask Andrew for a raincheck on their upcoming conversation, she was shaken out of her torpor by JJ nearly jumping out of her skin about something.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked her in surprise.

Will was also recovering from being startled. "Cher, what the hell?"

"Sorry." JJ apologized as all around the table, everyone recovered from also being startled by her. "I just got a text on my tablet. It came from Katherine's number."

"Wait, really?" Rossi said in surprise. "Her phone was already found at the abduction site. It's dead."

"Perhaps she has a smart watch." suggested Tara.

JJ shrugged. "I haven't seen her in awhile, so maybe it was a recent acquisition."

Matt did his best not to roll his eyes as this conversation ramped up; it was like watching his kids digress when they were doing their best to be serious. "Okay, okay—we can figure out _later_ when Katherine came by whatever device she just used. What's important at the moment is that we see the message. Right?"

"Right." JJ agreed. "One moment… hmm…"

"What do you see?" Matt asked immediately.

JJ showed them all the message app. "See? My sister sent an actual SOS."

"Nothing else?" pressed Spencer.

"No."

JJ passed her iPad to Penelope.

"Do you think this is a Hail Mary?"

The tech analyst nodded when she understood what was being driven at. "This might _just_ be enough data to discern or triangulate their location, but since Katherine could only send this acronym, it might have been all that she had time for."

"You're thinking that whatever device she used ran out of juice." JJ said.

"Bingo. My powers of tech mastery can reach far, but even I can't turn on a dead device."

JJ nodded somberly. "Alright."

"Then that brings me to my last point—I agree with the conclusion that Katherine and the others are somewhere in a local or semi-local radius, but they could still be_ anywhere._ Don't say I didn't warn you if we only get something like a rough estimate."

"I understand, PG. Thank you."

The rest of the people in the room watched as Penelope used her laptop and JJ's iPad to work her magic.

None of them were exactly pleased when she furrowed her brow, saying nothing as she stared at her computer screen.

_"What?!"_ the LaMontagnes cried together.

"Katherine's text originated from Dunn Loring, Virginia, but it's in a residential neighborhood. I haven't even found where they are yet."

Primrose arched an eyebrow; she'd only been with the MPD for a few years, coming from a post at the airport. That had been very quiet. Very boring. Ever since she'd been partnered with Will, she found that she was constantly learning new things about the metropolitan division—including just what was being said with cryptic phrasing.

"Those are _good_ things, though, right?" she asked. "It's better than what we had an hour ago."

Will broke things down for his partner. "What Penelope is telling us is that if they were in a rural area, it would be easier to do a stealth retrieval mission because there would be more places to hide, whereas broad daylight means little to no cover. Broad daylight complicates everything in general. There's also a higher probability of a civilian accidentally getting hurt."

"That _is_ the gist." Penelope said. "I'm also concerned because I haven't gotten a fix on any of Zephyr Ridley's devices yet."

She was keeping tabs on him from afar with her computers, but Zephyr had truly gone radio silent.

Primrose this time heaved a sigh. "So for all we know, Zephyr could also be at this location?"

"That would be my guess." Penelope affirmed.

"And because of all this evasion, there's a strong possibility that Zephyr could be dangerous."

"Right again. We all have to be _very_ careful."

All eyes in the room landed on Emily. They wanted to see what she had to say.

"I would very much prefer that Zephyr be caught _alive_ because he needs to be held accountable, and he also has a family who can't handle anymore stress." Emily regarded those in the room who carried a gun. "Rescuing Katherine and the kids, and bringing Zephyr in are the main priorities today. Am I clear?"

"Yes." they chorused.

Emily stood and turned to Captain Walsh. "How fast can you arrange for a full mobile command center?"

Walsh stood. "Ten minutes. I'll make sure we have one that has a space for Miss Garcia, as well."

"Outstanding." Emily focused on Rossi, Spencer, Luke, Tara, and Matt. "Use those ten minutes to get ready for a tactical recon mission. Be ready to roll out when JJ and I come back with Captain Walsh, Will, and Primrose. Do you understand?"

"Yes." they chorused once more.

Pleased, Emily addressed Penelope. "Have you figured out the point of origin yet for Katherine's text? Like an address?"

"I have an idea of the area, but we're still in that 'rough sketch' realm that I mentioned earlier."

"Will you will be able to have it smoothed out in a fast due course? Faster once we're on the road?"

Penelope nodded. "Yes."

"Very good." Emily praised as she, JJ, Will, Primrose, and Walsh headed out. "We will be back soon."


	11. Chapter 11

Zephyr Ridley was now beginning to have regrets about the mess he was currently caught in. He knew everything, and was already figuring out how to turn himself in. It was the only right thing do.

At least he knew the root of his problems.

Kali Grigorovich.

They'd been friends for a very long time, but she had changed in the past year in that she'd allowed herself to get recruited into working for a child trafficking ring. Overlooking a heinous crime would be worth it if she could finally have enough money to get out of D.C. for good. She was very bored. A change of scenery was just within reach.

But but Kali's back-up muscle was beginning to turn on her—they felt that answering to a young person about dastardly deeds was beneath both of them. Even _with_ all the money they were paid for every completed job.

Kali didn't have time for the drama of Asa and Wyatt. So it didn't take her long to think of Zephyr as a replacement for them.

Everything ran just fine until Kali learned of Olivia's being let go, and that the MPD was aware of what she was doing. Her irritation only grew at finding out that the FBI had also gotten involved. _That_ particular establishment _majorly_ complicated things.

The house location would be found. Kali's operation would be terminated, and she would be punished. Eliminating all of her liabilities was the only option. There would be no middle ground.

Lulling Zephyr into a false sense of security was the first place to start.

* * *

"What are you doing back here?"

This was Katherine's inquiry to Zephyr when he came back down to the hideaway.

He answered her question with a different one. "Do you want to leave?"

"What?" Katherine said in actual confusion. "Are you screwing with me?"

"No. We're actually in a residential neighborhood, a small journey away from D.C. proper."

"But you said—"

Zephyr cut her off. "I _know_ what I said! Look—the cuckoo bird in the house is called Kali Grigorovich, and this is a child trafficking ring."

Katherine found this very alarming, but moved on to her next train of thought since they weren't in immediate peril. "Tell me about all this yarn the kids have."

"It's to determine who's worth keeping, and who isn't. Different colors mean different things."

"Then the little ones here are keepers?"

"They are, in Kali's book, but not mine. I've got Faith and Hope to thank for that." Zephyr admitted. "I did _not _sign up to terrorize my baby stepsisters. Thank God no one has been moved on to the next step."

Katherine couldn't believe that Zephyr was telling her everything so easily. "And just what does Kali think you're doing down here?"

"Checking on the 'merchandise,' as she put it."

"Then are Asa and Wyatt back? I want to talk to them."

Zephyr chose his words carefully because of the watching children. "I think they both bought the farm."

"Fine. What was that about getting out of here?" Katherine stuck her hands in her jacket pocket. "I want that, but I'm not going without everyone else. I'm not. It's together, or not at all."

"Totally." Zephyr agreed. "I don't have a solid plan yet, but if the hatch opens up again, do you think you can have everyone climb up the ladder?"

Katherine was not naive, nor had she forgotten that she was caring for other people's children, but she thoroughly believed that Zephyr no longer meant any harm.

"Yes." she finally told him. "I can have everyone ready."

"Good. Stay alert—I have to go."

Zephyr departed once again.

Katherine's hope started to burn a little brighter.

* * *

It wasn't until the BAU and MPD hit the road in the mobile command center that Penelope had a breakthrough.

"You guys!" she cried. "They're in Dunn Loring!"

Everyone quickly gathered around Penelope's nook of a work station.

Captain Walsh said, "That's a little bit less than a half hour away. Miss Garcia, do you have anything like coordinates available?"

"I already took the initiative so you can give the information to the driver, m'am." Penelope handed the other woman a Post-It Note with writing on it. "Here you go."

"Much obliged." Walsh took the paper. "I'll be right back."

She headed towards the front area where the vehicle driver was. Not long after, the sirens began to sound, and they began to head even faster towards their destination.

Penelope had a second breakthrough in her data-gathering just as they pulled up in front of the house.

Emily noticed her friend looking at the computer monitor with a very concerned expression on her face. She joined her immediately.

"This is no time to hold anything back." Emily told her. "The local officers are already outside, setting up the barricades."

Penelope faced her friend. "I discovered who Zephyr keeps the closest."

The others overheard this and once again formed cluster at her work area.

"You have our attention." Matt said to Penelope. "The floor is yours."

Penelope turned to look at the screen, feeling unsettled with everyone watching. She was more used to doing this part of the job over the phone.

"This young woman on the screen is one Kali Grigorovich of Dunn Loring, Virginia." Penelope indicated the person she'd been looking into. "She's eighteen years old, and as far as I can tell, she has no living family to speak of. Her connection to Zephyr Ridley is that they sailed all the way through grade school together."

"Are they friends?" Will wanted to know.

"Yes. I wouldn't say boyfriend and girlfriend, but they are definitely friends. I give you all Exhibit A."

Replacing a DMV photo of Kali was a collage of many, many texts between her and Zephyr.

"There isn't time to go through each one individually, but this one did catch my eye. It's from her to him." Penelope continued. "The timestamp is from earlier today."

JJ winced as she read the message aloud. "It says, _'You'd better not wuss out, or else F & H will be first up.'_ That's perfectly terrifying."

"We've definitely found the elusive trafficking ring at the heart of the Yarn Child case, and this text solidifies it." Tara concluded. "The f and the h must stand for Faith and Hope—both Ridley girls."

Emily nodded. "That's right. JJ had a chat with their mother, Spring, back at the station."

Everyone's eyes turned to her.

"Spring Ridley told me that Zephyr is her stepson, and that she loves him, but considers him a wildcard. She also made it sounds as though Zephyr has a sketchy history." JJ sighed. "As for the twins, they're best friends, but Faith is deaf."

"Is she able to communicate?" Spencer asked.

"Yes, and she even signs. Missus Ridley even informed me that neither of her daughters have ever spent a night away from home before." JJ showed her colleagues the rag dolls. "These belong to Faith and Hope. Their mother lent them to me becasue she wants them to have something familiar when we find them."

Will inquired, "Any last tidbit?"

JJ thought about it. "Missus Ridley said that she doesn't approve of the bad things that Zephyr does, but I have a feeling that there was once a time when he really cared for Faith and Hope."

Rossi pointed at the text. "He probably still does, JJ. They must be his Achilles Heel if Kali is threatening to move them ahead of the others."

"Then words like that would only have weight if both parties have known each other for any inordinate amount of time. What does the reply say?"

Penelope called it up. "Zephyr sent, _'Okay, okay. I'm in. Don't worry about me.' _It looks like he sided with Kali again."

Rossi sounded like he was thinking out loud. "I agree, but her words to him in the first text you showed us made it sound like he was having second thoughts. What about the first message before in the thread_?"_

"Let's check, sir."

Penelope resurrected the text in question.

Emily read it. "This one says, _'__I don't want this anymore. The stakes are too high. Let's let them go.' _Garcia, what does the timestamp read?"

"Nine-fifteen."

"Katherine and Olivia were abducted just over an hour later. Sandy found Olivia at the station house not long after _that." _Emily pointed in the direction of the house. "Obviously, Kali is calling every shot. There is no way that she isn't inside."

Captain Walsh spoke up. "What _are_ your orders concerning Kali Grigorovich?"

"Don't shoot to kill," Emily decided. "Because we don't know where Katherine and the kids are, but do approach her with extreme caution; Kali will most definitely be armed. Can I trust you and Agent Simmons to lead this mission?"

"Sure. Where will you be?"

"Running point back here with JJ."

"Understood."

Emily turned to Matt. "Are you good?"

Matt was, but he had paused just for the briefest of moments. He was feeling puzzled—Emily and JJ were first on any scene. Always. It was unlike either of them to hang back on this kind of occasion.

He still gave Emily his best confident look. "Yes, boss. I'm all good. Let's roll."

* * *

Inside the house, Kali was fuming.

She had murdered Asa and Wyatt in cold blood on account of their going soft, but now everything _else_ was beginning to work against her. All of her best laid plans were being laid to absolute waste. Could _no one_ be trusted?

"You had one job!" she yelled at Zephyr. "Just one! What the _hell_ did you tell her?"

_"__NOTHING!" _Zephyr protested.

Kali responded by landing a well-aimed kick at her partner's legs. He collapsed in surprise, and then grew stuck when she continued.

"How did the cops and Feds get here?!" she screeched.

_"__I DON'T KNOW!"_

Zephyr truly had no idea how the calvary had arrived, but he was definitely going to keep his word. Any price was worth saving the people in the basement. Even jail time.

So he had to stand up to Kali.

Figuratively, _and_ literally.

Zephyr got to his feet. Kali immediately backed up: though slender and lightweight, her companion was well over six feet tall. She definitely wasn't.

"I didn't say anything that would piss you off, and I certainly didn't put out a _homing beacon!"_ Zephyr snarled. "I'm not _that_ stupid!"

Kali didn't believe him. "No? Then how do you explain the _FBI_ outside?"

Zephyr shrugged. "I guess Katherine has a smart device that we overlooked."

"Go figure!" Kali made to move, but Zephyr was blocking her from leaving the room. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I think I'm stopping you from going down there for a visit—none of them deserve this!"

"Yeah, well _you_ don't deserve _this," _Kali shoved Zephyr hard. "But hey! What can you do?"

Zephyr immediately retaliated by shoving her in return. _"I _can do _that!"_

A physical fight broke out between them.

Outside, Matt approached the house with a mega-horn in hand. Captain Walsh was beside him. Will and Primrose both stood faithfully with their CO, while Tara and Spencer were next to Matt. Behind them was a mixture of BAU and MPD personnel. Everyone was wearing tactical gear and armed for the possibility of a fight.

Matt called through the mega-horn, "Zephyr Ridley, Kali Grigorovich—this is the FBI, and the Metropolitan Police Department! Come out with your hands up!"

Not a peep came from the house.

Walsh examined it with a heat-seeking tool. "They must be at the back of the house, otherwise I'd be picking something up."

"Any sign of Katherine, or the little ones?" Matt asked her.

"No, but I wouldn't be surprised of the house has multiple hidey-holes, and everyone has been stashed in one of them. Should I send some of my people around the back?"

"Please do. Have them get in position, but don't go until I give you the all-clear."

Walsh conveyed her understanding and busied herself with dispatching her people.

More time passed.

Matt's further attempts to draw Zephyr and Kali out went unanswered.

Even Emily, JJ, and Penelope surveyed the scene through cameras and monitors from inside the command center without talking. They were waiting. Just like everyone else.

It was the eagle eyes of Spencer Reid who spotted activity first. "The front door is opening!"

Indeed, Zephyr was emerging slowly from the house, extremely aware of the innumerable amount of guns pointed at him. To everyone's great surprise, he knelt down on the snowy ground and held his hands up in surrender. He was done. Quitting.

"Zephyr," Matt called to him. "Are you armed at all?"

"No, sir, I don't have any!" the young man called back. "Search me, okay? I'll do whatever you want!"

Matt, Walsh, Will, and Primrose jogged over to him.

"Is Kali in the house?" Matt asked as Will and Primrose gave Zephyr a pat-down.

"Back bedroom—second floor, last door to the right. Be careful."

Walsh addressed him in a sharp tone. "Any traps that we should know about?"

"No, m'am. None." Zephyr answered her. "Kali had a gun. I left it on the kitchen counter after incapacitating her."

With a word from Matt, Captain Walsh gave her people instructions and permission to move in before saying, "What possessed you to go so far?"

"There was a dust-up, and I was terrified for my life."

"Captain, he's telling the truth about the fight." Will reported as he and Primrose handcuffed Zephyr. "His knuckles are bloody."

Walsh took this in stride as she spoke to Zephyr again. "Are Katherine Spelling and the missing children on this property?"

"Yes, m'am. They're through a trap door in the garage floor that Kali made me padlock shut."

"We'll handle that. Your cooperation will serve you well when it comes to sentencing, but we still have to arrest you. Do you understand?"

Zephyr nodded solemnly. "I do, m'am."

At Walsh's behest, Primrose mirandized Zephyr and led him to the nearest police car.

Matt called out to Will. "Hey, LaMontagne—can you you come over here, please?"

"What do you need?" Will asked when he reached him.

"Go look for bolt cutters—they're probably at the back of the command center. You're going to cut the padlock when we get into the garage. Right now, I'm just waiting on the confirmation of Kali's capture."

Will returned to Matt in record timing with a set of strong bolt cutters. Moments later, they received the update they'd been waiting for. Kali had been captured and taken in to police custody.

This left the BAU and MPD free to converge on the house to secure the gun and begin the crime scene investigation, but more importantly, free the prisoners.

"This should do it." Will said. "There…"

With no small amount of maneuvering and finagling, the sergeant finally managed to get the padlock off the trap door. It was easier said than done.

Will threw the door open the moment he could. The long ladder was visible as it descended into the secondary basement, but only a dim light could be seen beyond that. He did his best not to shiver as he moved forward.

"Katherine Spelling?" he called down to his sister-in-law. "You down there? This is the MPD and the FBI!"

She returned his inquiry at once. "I'm here! All of the kids are here, too!"

"Is anyone hurt?"

"No! We're just tired, and really ready to go!"

Will smiled even though Katherine couldn't see him. "Today is everybody's lucky day—rescuing you all is exactly what we're here to do!"

Everybody in the basement cheered.


	12. Chapter 12

JJ, Emily, and Penelope departed the mobile command center as Matt, Tara, Walsh, Will, and Primrose emerged from the house.

But…

"Huh…" Emily mused.

Beside her, JJ said, "I also see it."

Penelope added her own commentary. "This is like the end of _101 Dalmatians, _and the humans realize that their pets came back with a lot more than fifteen puppies. We just saved almost a dozen people from human trafficking today."

"I will definitely take that win." Emily decided.

"Same here." JJ deposited a stack of blankets she was carrying. "Hold on to these, Em. I have to go see my sister."

The profiler weaved her way through those working to comfort the rescued people, and called out. "Katherine!"

She lit up when she saw who had said her name. _"JENNY!" _

The sisters ran to each other and embraced.

"Oh, Katherine." JJ held her out at arm's length. "I am _so_ happy to see you. How did you get a message to me? We were trying to figure that out."

"I forgot until the last second that I was wearing a smart watch, actually." Katherine showed it to her. "I sent the SOS moments before it died. What do you think?"

"I think you were extremely clever." JJ praised her. "We were only looking for you and five of these kids, Katherine. You helped bring five more to safety that we didn't even know about."

Katherine spoke faster, her English accent suddenly sounding heavier than usual. "Woah. It was already a relief to see _Will_ as a first responder, and now this…"

JJ rubbed her sister's back. "We know about Faith, Hope, Dev, Dashel, and Esai, but who are the others? Will you introduce me?"

"You bet. Follow me."

The kids had been standing nearby in a tight cluster. They trusted the police, the paramedics, the police, and the FBI, but they trusted Katherine the most. She was their anchor. Their savior.

The little ones placed their trust in JJ at once because it had blown their minds that she'd actually shown up. To them, this was nothing short of amazing. A miracle. This was how JJ learned the names of the previously unknown kids. Alexa, Jude, Melody, Paris, Teagan. Each were safe now because Katherine had looked after them.

It was days like today that reminded JJ why she had chosen to become an FBI agent.

She knelt down in front of the Ridley twins in particular. "Faith? Hope? How are you doing?"

Faith furrowed her brow. "Did Zephie get in trouble?"

"Yes, but he's going to get help." JJ told her.

"Do you promise?"

JJ nodded. "I do."

Faith's bottom lip trembled. "I-is it okay to still love him?"

"That's what I was thinking!" Hope factored in quickly.

"It's _definitely _okay to still love your big brother." JJ hugged both toddlers again. "I have a surprise for both of you from your mama."

The girls were first astonished, and then elated when JJ presented them with their favorite toys. The gesture earned her their complete loyalty. When JJ told the twins that the paramedics were going to make sure that everything was okay, and even give them new things to wear, Faith and Hope were very cooperative. The rest of the kids followed their example.

While Emily and Penelope oversaw this part of the situation, JJ looked for Katherine again. She had moved away from the main throng. Now she was off to the side, watching things play out. Will stood with her.

"Katherine hasn't said anything, cher." Will told his wife when she joined them.

"I'm just trying to catch my breath." Katherine looked from one LaMontagne to the other._ "Please_ tell me one of you knows where Olivia is."

"We do. She's with August, Aurora, and Lucy. We're in Dunn Loring." JJ informed her calmly. "It's about a twenty-five minute ride from where you started today."

Katherine began to calm down. "How on earth did Olivia even cross yours and Will's paths if you work in two separate divisions of law enforcement?"

The LaMontagnes gave her the civilian version of events.

Katherine felt stunned by the end. "So the stars and planets aligned to make sure that out of _all_ the people in the world that Olivia could have run into, it was JJ's mother?"

"That's right." JJ said.

"Sandy's timing has always been very on point." Will tacked on.

"So if _she_ showed up, and August, Aurora, and Lucy made it to D.C. from Baltimore, what of _my _mother?"

"Hannah is waiting back at the station."

Katherine moved back to her sister, wanting her sole focus. "What of our father? Have you seen him?"

JJ pulled no punches because she wanted her sister to know the truth. "I did see Clifford for the first time since I was eleven, and the encounter triggered a panic attack. It even put me in the hospital for a minute."

"I'm sorry!" Katherine cried quickly.

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about. None of what happened today is your fault." JJ gave Katherine a kind smile. _"None_ of it."

Will came to the rescue of Katherine's guilt. "Something really good came from JJ being admitted."

"What was it?" Katherine said in bewilderment.

Will beamed. "We found out that she's pregnant—with twins."

Katherine congratulated them, and then changed lanes by squatting down. The feelings she'd been keeping contained all day where making her feel overwhelmed.

"You must think I'm being so odd." she sighed.

Will and JJ knelt with her.

"We don't think anything like that. We're on your side." Will also took on a comforting tone. "You just spent the day putting ten kids before yourself, even when you were so frightened. It's okay to feel things. You deserve it."

"My brain has been doing a million jumping jacks lately because I found out last week that I'm pregnant again. I just haven't told anyone but the two of you."

"Why's that?"

"I'm still coping with the loss of my husband, and trying to figure out how to raise two kids without him now. Part of the reason we came to D.C. was to see you guys." Katherine did her best to smile at Will. "I love my parents, but they can be smothering..."

Will rubbed Katherine's shoulder in comforting way. "So you just wanted to get some space from them?"

"Yes. Is that wrong?"

"Not at all. Our door is always open, and we love you so much."

JJ nodded in agreement. "Come for dinner soon—you need to meet your nephews, and Olivia needs to meet her cousins. We can talk about whatever you want."

Katherine hugged them. "Thank you _both_ for _everything."_

"We're family." JJ gave her an extra hug. "Will and I are here for you in the bad times, and the good. Always."

"In that case, is it time to go? I need to be with Olivia."

* * *

They were all on the road, having piled into the mobile command center, in less than an hour.

Faith and Hope stuck with JJ on the ride back to town. This tickled her. It also caused her to wonder if the pair of miracles growing inside her were girls. She loved having sons, but she had always hoped for even one daughter. Maybe the universe would grant her this. Maybe.

After seeing Alexa, Jude, Melody, Paris, and Teagan off with awaiting social workers, reunions were had.

JJ even had her own special project.

She approached Katherine. "Have you heard from any of the Jareaus?"

"Will told me that August got in touch with him to say that they went for a bite to eat because Olivia and Lucy were hungry."

"Any idea on when they'll be back?"

Katherine checked her phone. It had been returned to her, and was now charging on a portable charger. "August just sent me a text to say that they'll be here in about ten minutes."

"Good." JJ said. "Then you have time to help me with something."

"Reuniting Faith and Hope with their parents?" Katherine guessed.

"Uh-huh. They also stepped out, but should be back any moment."

"I see. Then I will follow your lead."

So JJ addressed the twins. "How are you both feeling?"

Faith yawned and signed what JJ assumed was the word for tired.

Hope nodded emphatically. "I wanna go _home."_

Out of the corner of her eye, Katherine spotted Kent and Spring Ridley entering the room. "That should be happening very soon. You two might want to look around now."

The twins did just this, shrieking when they saw their parents and ran to them.

Will strolled over to JJ and Katherine at this point.

"This happy ending is a wonderful feeling, isn't it?" he said to his sister-in-law.

She nodded. "Oh, yes."

"Days like today are why we do what we do."

"He's right." added JJ. "For all the bad times, there are so very, very good days."

"Then I'm very glad I could be here for a good day." Katherine smiled warmly at the LaMontagnes. "I'm also very proud of the work that both of you do."

"Thank you, sweetheart." JJ said as they hugged her. "That means a lot. We really appreciate it."

The Ridleys approached as JJ, Will, and Katherine broke apart.

"SSA Jareau," Kent said to JJ. "Thank you for bringing our girls back safely to us."

"You are very welcome, although," JJ steered Will over. "My husband, Sergeant LaMontagne, was one of the first responders during the initial rescue."

Kent Ridley shook Will's hand. "Thank you, sir."

"We're very pleased that Faith and Hope are back where they belong." Will told him. "They rode all the way back here with my wife."

"Wow."

Spring Ridley walked up to the only member of the trio who hadn't spoken yet. "You _must_ be Katherine."

She turned slightly pink at being noticed. "I am. Someone had to be the kids' person, so I stepped up for them."

"Are you a mom?" Spring asked curiously.

"Yes. That's what made it so easy for me to take care of everybody."

Kent stepped towards Katherine. "The other agents told us that our son Zephyr—the girls' older brother—was part of this whole thing. Did you see him?"

"I did. He was a little scary," Katherine admitted. "But he had a change of heart near the end because he said he was going to help us all escape."

This piece of information genuinely surprised Kent. "Do you have an idea what prompted that change in the tide?"

"Zephyr began expressing strong remorse at scaring Faith and Hope."

Kent let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Okay. Thank you—we needed to hear that."

Spring turned towards JJ. "Is there anything else that yours or your husband's agencies need from us?"

"No, Spring. You and your family may go home."

"Thank you again. We'll be on our way."

Things didn't even slow down after the Ridleys took their leave.

_"__MUMMA!"_

Katherine's heart turned a cartwheel at the sound of Olivia's voice cutting through the air.

She turned around just in time to see her daughter barreling towards her at full speed. With ease, Katherine caught Olivia and held her close in a warm hug. The Jareaus watched from a few feet away.

"Oh, my sweetest Livvie-lou." Katherine pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "I really missed you."

Olivia put a hand to Katherine's cheek to make sure she was truly there. "Me, too! You!"

JJ watched the Spellingses chat with each other. She found it amazing that neither one of them had broken down from all that had happened since leaving their house in Baltimore.

That's what made her sad to break the spell. "Katherine?"

She looked away from Olivia. "Yes?"

"I'm sure you're dead on your feet for a number of reasons now, so I'll be fast—we learned about your new house during the investigation because we met Bex Alvez. She was a tremendous help."

"Really? I guess the cat's out of the bag with my surprises." Katherine laughed softly. "I'm not even mad."

"Excellent—call Bex and tell her that. She was extremely concerned."

"I'll call her later, then."

JJ continued, "Call _me _after you've had time to crash on a bed. I really want you to meet everyone else, especially my sons. How does that sound?"

"Really perfect." Katherine said. "I'm really looking forward to that."

"So am I."

They turned to face the Jareaus, only to see that all of them were staring.

JJ rolled her eyes. "What?"

Hannah remarked, "Those are some incredibly strong genes."

_"Incredibly _strong." echoed August.

Even Clifford could see the resemblance between his daughters. It was eerie.

JJ and Katherine could both see him processing this.

"Dad?" they said together.

"You're both beautiful." Clifford offered them.

Katherine grinned at the compliment.

JJ's heart just jumped. It was going to take awhile before she would be fully used to hearing kind words from her own father.

"Thank you." she and Katherine answered in unison.

Hannah hugged both of her daughters and then passed Katherine to the rest of the clan.

After checking on Katherine and giving her an extra hug, she passed her on to the others.

Then she only had eyes for JJ. "Thank you, my girl."

JJ felt like she could have started crying on the spot. Already she'd learned that Hannah loved her children fiercely. _All_ of them. JJ also realized that using such a special term of endearment on her must have taken her stepmother a tremendous amount of strength. It made her love Hannah even more.

"You're so very welcome, Hannah." JJ hugged her. "I'm glad to know you now."

She then cast a look over at Clifford, arching an expectant eyebrow.

He gave her an awkward wave.

_Coward, _thought JJ.

It hurt her deeply that Clifford hadn't even been strong enough to say thank you. He'd made eye contact, but he couldn't even thank her for bringing Katherine back safe. What kind of a man _was_ her father?

JJ merely returned the wave with a nod of acknowledgement.

Will broke the tension by taking the initiative in saying good-bye to his in-laws. JJ followed suit after another beat of ruminating. She was not going to fall down the rabbit hole. Not tonight. She had no time or energy.

When the rest of the family had also gone, the LaMontagnes escaped to a side room, away from the noise of the station. A moment alone was needed.

JJ looked at Will as if he was the only person in the world. "How are you?"

"I'm pleased that the case ended well, and I'm overjoyed that we saved so _many_ people." he hugged JJ. "I'm also incredibly proud of you for wanting to work the relationships you have with your side of the family. That takes a lot of courage."

These words from Will immediately lifted JJ's mood about her father. "Thanks. I love you."

Will kissed his wife. "I love you, too. I also don't have enough words to say how happy I am that you're pregnant."

"Miracles happen." JJ smiled as she thought of their twin babies. "The family that you and I made together is living proof of that."

"I would never have our lives together any other way than how they've happened."

JJ gently nipped Will's jawline with a few of her own kisses. "We wouldn't be who we are without the people we've met, or the experiences we've had. I couldn't imagine being on this journey with anyone else but you."

"I agree, darling. I agree." Will hugged JJ closer. "The best is yet to come."


	13. Chapter 13

To JJ's great chagrin, she still had to return to Quantico before she could go home. There were end-of-shift things to be filed, and belongings to gather. Including her car.

But it was just as well that they made a trip to their work building.

There was one person whom she really needed to see before she retied to her house for the night.

"Em?" JJ knocked on her partner's open office door. "How are you doing?"

Emily was dressed for the cold and had her things together. Instead of leaving, though, she was just leaning against the edge of her desk. Her fingers were even splayed over her middle. A faint smile was on her face—she was thinking about what what could be. What she hoped _was, _already.

But she still appeared to be a million miles away. Fear still gripped a small part of her heart.

Emily managed a semi-calm voice when she saw her partner. "Jayje, I'm back to feeling freaked out. You know what I'm going to do after this."

"Oh, yes. Do you remember what I said to do?"

"You told me keep my feet on planet earth, and to just put one foot in front of the other."

"That's right." JJ confirmed.

"Is the invitation for dinner still open?"

"Yes. Consider it a standing invitation—you'll always have a seat at our table."

"Thank you so much." Emily said truthfully. "I want to ask you something on a different matter, but it might seem odd."

JJ lifted both eyebrows. "We know each other so well that there _are_ no odd moments."

Emily still found herself shuffling her feet. "How fine-tuned are your mother's perception skills about other people?"

"Roz would jokingly call her psychic." JJ replied in surprise. "Why?"

"When we were watching you and Hannah at the hospital, Sandy did something that made it seem like she _knew_ that I've been contemplating the possibility that I might pregnant now."

JJ's curiosity piqued. "Oh, really? What were _you_ doing?"

"I had my hands on my middle, as they are now," she drummed her fingers on her midsection for emphasis. "Because I was thinking about baby names."

"Any that you care to share?"

"Zion and Eden are my present favorites." Emily cleared her throat. "I think Sandy _is_ a mind reader—just before she went to introduce herself to Hannah, she gave my hands a pat. It was very comforting."

JJ made an amused sound. "She's been through a lot of absurd things in her life, but her capacity for loving good people has never dwindled."

"That's amazing…"

"You must also be on the list of people whom she loves dearly." JJ motioned to Emily's middle. "Do you feel more certain that there _is_ a baby in there?"

"Yes." Emily admitted. "I asked for a sign from the universe that everything was going to be okay… and then Sandy did that. Now I'm not _as_ freaked out as I was."

"Fantastic." JJ fixed Emily inwardly-turned coat collar. "Just keep taking it all one step at a time, alright?"

"Okay." Emily hugged her. "See you in the morning?"

"See you in the morning."

While Emily left the bullpen altogether, JJ parked herself at the table in the break area. She was having second thoughts about driving home.

"JJ?"

She jumped; the bullpen was empty, save for herself and the nighttime cleaning staff. At least it had been when she'd last taken stock. JJ couldn't imagine who—that knew her name—would still be around.

"Matt," she chirped when she saw who had taken the seat across from her. "I thought you would be headed home to Kristy and the kids already."

He gave her a brotherly smile. "That's next on my list of things to do, but I just wanted to check on you because I could see your thinking face from the other side of the room."

"You are a very sweet man. I know I've told you that a few times today, but it's true. I really appreciate that about you." JJ said warmly. "My immediate problem is about getting home tonight."

"How's that?" Matt wanted to know.

"I'm worn out from the day, and a few other things. Driving home suddenly feels like a bad idea."

"Where do you live?"

"Number Seventeen on Broadchurch Close, in Capitol Hill." JJ told him.

Matt brightened. "We live in Halifax Gardens. It's three blocks from your house. Come on—I'll give you a lift."

"Really?"

"Really." Matt stood and held a hand out to JJ. "Broadchurch Close is on my way home. It's also about an _hour_ until the train shuttle comes back around."

JJ was finally won over and let her friend help her up. "Let's go, but I just have one question."

"You're wondering how I know the shuttle schedule."

"Uh-huh."

Matt laughed as they walked to the elevators and began the journey down to the main lobby. "I ride the train in all the time, so I know the time tables very well."

"Why didn't you ride it today?"

"Kristy had to go into work early today, so I dropped the kids off at daycare and school before heading out here. Getting _four kids_ out the door _before_ eight in the morning is like trying to get all the monkeys back in the barrel. I still wouldn't trade it for anything because I love being a parent."

JJ had a funny feeling when she realized that what Matt was describing was in her distant future. "Hey, how are Jake, David, Lily, and Chloe doing? I haven't heard about them in awhile."

Matt cheerfully updated JJ on the lives of his kids. It was nice to have a momentary distraction.

As they left FBI property for the main road, JJ sent a text to Will. _I'm catching a ride home with Matt. _

His reply was fast. _Thanks for the heads up, cher. Everything okay?_

_My car is fine, but I don't trust myself to drive—the babies are messing with me. _

_Fingers crossed they settle down soon. Where do the Simmonses live?_

_In Halifax Gardens. Three blocks over from us. _

_How about that? I've got dinner on the stove, and the boys are waiting for their mama :) See you when you get home. I love you. _

_I love you, too. _

JJ put her phone away again and leaned back in her seat. "Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime, JJ." Matt told her. "Were you just texting Will?"

"Yep. He's working on dinner."

Matt just nodded as they drove along. He wanted to ask his friend something, but still had to choose his words carefully. The whole effort made him squirrelly.

JJ noticed and fought back a mad desire to laugh. It was rare that Matt wasn't straightforward.

"Okay, what?" she said.

Matt feigned his innocence poorly. "Pardon, JJ?"

"You've been looking funny at me since Dunn Loring. Spit it out."

Matt still chose his words with exact precision. "It's just that you're acting quite similarly to the way Kristy did, the last time she was pregnant. That was when Chloe and Lily happened."

Everyone on the BAU team knew that the youngest Simmons children were identical twin girls.

JJ finally did laugh. "Gold star for you, my friend. We found out at the hospital today that I'm pregnant—with identical twins, just like your wife was that last time."

Matt jumped in amazement. He hadn't expected his thoughts to be so perfectly on the nose.

"Congratulations!" he told her. "Who all knows?"

"Will and Katherine, Emily, both of my parents, my stepmother, my brother and his family, Olivia, and you."

"Then I'll help keep your secret for as long as you want me to." Matt said seriously.

"That's really nice of you. I appreciate that, as well." JJ said. "Can I ask you something?"

"I'm an open book." Matt returned in kind.

"What are your siblings' names? Are they older than you?"

Even in the dark of the car, a fond grin could be seen on Matt's face. "They're called Abigail and Hosea. Both of them are older than me, yeah."

"How did you, Abigail, and Hosea get your names?"

"Our folks moved here from Korea when they were newlyweds, and made a vow to give their kids names that were easy to say right of the bat."

"Is your family a churchgoing one?"

Matt shook his head. "My parents' names are in traditional Korean, which makes them that much harder to say in English. They picked uncomplicated ones from the Bible to give us pride and to spare us from any mispronunciations."

"Those were smart moves." JJ rested a hand on her lower middle. "We get to think of first and middle names _twice_ over this time. I'm still trying to digest that."

"We didn't know about Lily until the last second. Imagine getting _that_ news."

JJ shuddered. "I can't imagine. How did it go? You can't leave me hanging."

So Matt happily told his friend another memory about his children. JJ was pleased for another distraction.

* * *

JJ had just finished putting all of her things away in the front hall of her homestead when she was beset upon by her sons.

"Hey, you guys!" she sat Michael on her hip and hugged Henry. "I missed both of you _so _much today!"

Michael giggled and kissed his mother on the cheek. "I love _you!"_

JJ kissed him on the tip of his nose. "Right back at you, big boy."

Michael beamed at his mother's words and then adjusted himself so that he could rest his head on her shoulder. He even gave her a pat on the back. Something told him that she needed it.

JJ did her best not to turn to putty from her son's affection before moving on to Henry. "How was your day, buddy? Have you eaten dinner yet?"

The boy nodded. "Yep."

"Homework done?"

"In study hall."

Henry was being terse because was nervous about something.

JJ put a hand on the hip that Michael wasn't sitting on. "What's eating you?"

Henry stammered, "I… uh…"

JJ tried again. "Did you leave anything at school?"

"No."

"Then did you and Zara King fight?"

"No!" Henry cried in alarm; the idea of a quarrel with one of his favorite people bothered him. "I _told _you that I have a crush on her, _and_ that I want to marry her some day!"

"Everyone fights with people they love, Henry. That's healthy and normal." JJ continued to study her firstborn. "So if you did your homework in study hall, but you didn't leave anything at school, _and_ things are perfectly normal with you and your best friend, is this about the pre-test for the placement test?"

Henry loosened up slightly. "I aced that."

JJ gave her son another hug. "Great job!"

"Thanks, mom." he sighed nervously. "I just get butterflies in my stomach when I think about it—the _big_ test, I mean."

"That's totally understandable." JJ reassured him. "I know something that could cheer you up."

"What?" Henry asked.

JJ winked at him. "Tutoring from Uncle Spencer."

This promise did indeed snap Henry out of his funk: he had worshipped his godfather for his entire life, so getting help from _him_ for a school test sounded like the best thing ever. Henry conveyed these feelings by giving his mother a hug of thanks before turning around and racing upstairs. No doubt to start a new study session.

Will walked in on the tail-end of this.

"Oh, boy." he sighed as Henry dashed past him. "What was that about Spencer?"

"I told him this morning about how nervous our boy is for the placement test, so I invited Spence over for tutoring and a meal. Henry is going to need all the help he can get. I also invited Emily over because she's going through some intense things that I can't name." JJ explained. "There just hasn't been any time to run this by you because of our crazy day. It's also been a hot minute since the kids have seen either of them. What do you think?"

"I think that I love you and your big, beautiful heart," Will kissed JJ's chest at this. "And I also love that you reached out to Spencer and Emily. Is it alright if I add a suggestion?"

"Go on."

"We should extend the invitation to the rest of the team, and to the Baltimore clan."

JJ brightened. "I really like that."

"Good." Will eased Michael from JJ's arms and into his. "We can talk about it while we eat."

"I like the idea of that, too, but I'm going to go freshen up first."

"Okay, cher. Everything will be ready when you come back down."

* * *

Much later, the LaMontagne patriarch and matriarch both collapsed on their bed. Dinner had been had. The kids were asleep. Tomorrow's lunches had been packed. The house was locked up. The home security system was in place. It was finally time to be still.

"Our lives will never be quiet, but I'm okay with that." JJ reflected into the quiet. "If they'd never been exciting, we would have never met."

"I'd probably still be in Louisiana." Will realized. "After everything we've been through, that kind of reality is unfathomable."

"As it should be."

"Mmm…"

Will's answer had been more a sound than a word. Something was heavy on his mind. JJ had been hoping for sex—or even just making out—but it was plain that her other half needed help talking though whatever it was he was ruminating on. This would be good.

"Okay, William." JJ sat cross-legged and facing him. "What's going on in your head?"

He propped himself up on one elbow and locked eyes with JJ. "Ever since we decided to try for our last kid, I've been entertaining the notion of… looking for… _her…"_

JJ's eyes widened. "Babe, are you sure?"

"Yes. I was looking for a sign that going down this path was a good idea, and then everything with your family went down. I just didn't think of it all that way until we were home again."

JJ struggled to keep her face neutral—here was the second time in a night that someone had cited the family she'd been born into as the sign they'd been looking for from a higher power. What _was_ her life?

And on top of everything, the very person they were discussing at that moment had always been somewhat of a tricky subject.

"A lot has happened today. For everyone." JJ finally said. "I will follow you anywhere, for better or for worse, but I just want you to be _sure._ A lot of good could come this endeavor, but so could a lot of bad. Not every rock needs turning over."

Will realized that JJ wasn't challenging him, but giving him one last chance to think this through. Either way, after his answer was given, the bell wouldn't be able to be unrung. It would change their lives. Forever.

"I am absolutely sure, Jennifer." he answered earnestly.

"Okay." she turned off her bedside lamp, sending the bedroom into darkness, and she laid with him. "Say the words, William. Say them."

He spoke without preamble. "I want to find my mother."

"Then that's what we'll do." JJ kissed moved closer and kissed him on the lips. "I love you."

Will slipped a hand under JJ's shirt to feel her baby bump. It awed him that his wife had made the impossible—or so the doctors had said—possible yet again. Now their youngest children were growing bigger every day. Defying the impossible seemed to be one of JJ's favorite past-times. For that, and many other things, Will would continue love Jennifer Alexandra LaMontagne forever. Absolutely no force anywhere could or would change his mind.

He kissed her; he just couldn't get enough of her tonight. "I love you, too. Forever."

And they laid together in bed.

Holding each other as they imagined what it would be like when they finally found the lost member of their family.

Will's mother.


	14. Chapter 14

Emily was in a daze. She was going to be a mother.

The thought alone made her delirious with joy.

Her baby had a heartbeat. It was healthy. Alive. Thriving. Emily couldn't ask for more.

So what exactly had her in a daze?

Andrew.

He was due over any minute to talk about… whatever it was he had alluded to earlier. Emily had no idea what Andrew even wanted, but had soon decided on balance that this was just as well because she would have spent the rest of the day feeling very distracted. All she wanted was food and sleep. It felt to her as if her whole day had lasted a week. Emily had never been more glad for a case to be at its end and behind her.

Now that she had been able to slow down, she was right back to feeling ill. Emily's biggest hope concerning Andrew's visit was that she didn't vomit on him. That would be the worst outcome. And the most awkward.

Emily sat up straighter when she heard the front door to the apartment open. She had left it unlocked for Andrew.

He called out as he hung his jacket up. "Emily?"

"On the couch!"

Andrew entered the sitting room to find that Emily wasn't looking so hot. Literally.

She was pale. Her face was devoid of makeup. There were even dark circles under her eyes. Had she been having trouble sleeping? Even her pajamas were mismatched, random. Her shirt was only just covering her chest. The checkered pajama pants were probably from nineteen ninety something. Her kimono robe also looked like it had seen a long life. Emily hadn't cared enough tonight to put in the effort of looking nice. Andrew had never seen her like this before.

He perched on the armchair closest to the end of the couch that she was occupying. "How are you? Is there anything I can do?"

"I also have some things to talk about, but I promise I'm fine." Emily smiled at her boyfriend. "You can go first."

"Well, I've been given a promotion at work, and they _do_ mean changes."

Emily's heart sank like a stone at once. "What _sort_ of changes?"

"To begin with, a raise and a promotion to a better position." Andrew's nerves increased. "They've reassigned me to London. Indefinitely. I didn't have a choice."

Emily's heart sank a little bit lower. "Oh, my God…"

Andrew's tone become one of backpedaling. "This is why I said I wanted to talk."

"That's good, but did you even stop to think about _us_ when this was put into your lap?"

"I _really_ _didn't_ have a choice. My flight is first thing on Monday morning."

"What?" Emily cried. "But _this_ is already _Tuesday!"_

Each passing moment now made it blindingly obvious where Andrew's priorities were. Emily wasn't sure what to feel.

"It's the nature of the beast, and it isn't all _that_ bad." Andrew offered. "London is a beautiful place with lots of opportunities for both of us."

"What are you saying?" Emily demanded.

"I'm saying that you could come with me. We could have a life together in England."

Before Emily could stop Andrew, he was on one knee in front of her. This was not happening. This could _not _be happening.

He pulled a small velvet box from one pocket and opened it to reveal a diamond ring. "Emily, would you come with me to England? Would you marry me?"

It was as if time itself had paused.

Emily's life even flashed before her eyes, even her conversation that morning with JJ about misgivings and obligations. She did want to be married, but not if even the idea of saying yes to a marriage proposal filled her with such dread. Never again. She'd last felt this when Ian Doyle had proposed. It hadn't been a fun experience. Andrew's proposal had sent up red flags all over again.

Emily also knew that living in England again was a no-go. She did agree that it was a beautiful place, bit the memories she was associated with it were empty and sad. Hopeless.

Finally, Emily responded by pushing Andrew's hands away.

"No." she said. "I'm sorry, Andrew, but I _couldn't_ do either."

He recoiled and got to his feet. "What? Why?"

"We haven't even honestly said "I love you," yet. I can even see where your priorities are. We've also only been together since _November."_ Emily also stood, but only to create some distance. "I would have said yes if you'd proposed maybe a year or more from now."

"But you're saying no _now_ because I rushed it?"

Emily bobbed her head. "If you _really_ loved me, you would have somehow found a way to say no to your boss or postpone."

"And do what, exactly?" Andrew pocketed the ring box. "Would you have expected me to seek you out while on a case?"

"Yes, especially since you know about this almost _all day,_ and we're not even at a point where you know my _full_ name!"

"And what _is_ your name?" Andrew huffed.

"It's Emelise Adele, and there are a _number _of reasons that I can't just pick up and go all the way to _England."_

"Like what?"

"My parents—they're getting old. It's been too long since I've lived in the same country as them. Next year, I turn the big 5-0." Emily shuddered at this last admission. "I'm just too old to start over again. D.C. is where I want to retire someday."

Emily had valid points, and now Andrew felt frustrated. He'd just accidentally let a unicorn go because he'd jumped the gun. What frustrated him the most was that he would never have a chance to do this over. Andrew also had a feeling that Emily had more strong reasons about staying in D.C. besides her parents and her own age.

"What else is there?" he asked her.

"The BAU—I love it, and I love leading it." Emily went on. "My team is my family, and we've been through so much together. I can't leave them. Not again."

"Just how long _have_ you been part of the Behavioral Analysis Unit, anyway?"

"Since 2006."

"And when did you go?" Andrew said sardonically.

Emily rose above the sadness threatening to engulf her because of the memories. "The first time was in 2012. It hurt like hell in a few different ways, and then after a particular hurdle, I became too blinded by ambition to see what it was going to do to me in the long run."

"When did you go back?"

"For a brief moment in 2014 because it was a family emergency, and then I made a permanent return in 2016. I promised them that I'd never go again. It was a good thing I told them, too."

"Why?"

"We lost our leader, and I picked up the mantle in getting the team on its feet." Emily thought fleetingly of Hotch. "I'm also the BAU's _Unit Chief._ That's a pretty big deal. Nobody on the team would be able to make it if _anyone_ was missing—we'd be adrift."

Even though Andrew had worked with the BAU before, he was challenging Emily because he was buying time to figure out a way to change her mind. "Why _do_ you about them care so much? You all are just a group of people."

"The Avengers we are not, but I've been through life and death with my team in more ways than one. They are my family. I also _can't_ live in England."

Andrew paused. Emily was a seasoned world traveller, and she loved seeing new places. Expressing an untoward feeling towards any one country was out of character.

"Why on earth not? Have you even lived there before?"

"Yes, I have." Emily said softly. "I lived there because I had an entire division of Interpol at my command."

"You _what?" _Andrew sputtered.

"We both work for the government, Andrew, but I've _really_ been around the block."

"Sounds like you didn't enjoy the one called England." he observed. "Care to explain?"

"I didn't have any friends there—not real ones, anyway. Everyone I love is _here."_

He simmered down slightly. "Choosing the job over friends and family didn't go that well, did it?"

"Not one bit. The loneliness almost made me come undone." Emily looked upon him with scrutiny. "And you don't have any family, right?"

Emily had him there. In a conversation once about their families, Andrew had confessed that he was an adult orphan in every sense of the term.

"Yes." Andrew said. "That's right."

"Did that make it easier for you to accept reassignment so fast? Tell the truth."

When Andrew spoke next, it sounded like his words were causing him intense suffering. "Yes. It did."

"I rest my case." Emily said simply.

"Why are you giving me such a hard time? I l—"

Emily made a slashing motion with her hands. "Don't you dare make it worse by saying those words now, _just _to say them."

Andrew quickly changed tracks. "You're seriously digging in your heels about _something. _What is it?"

"Even though you went as far to buy me a beautiful diamond ring, you didn't stop to consider that I might not give you the answer you wanted to hear. I was just an afterthought. A shiny, beautiful afterthought."

"I'm sorry." Andrew tried lamely. "Is there _anything_ I can do? _Is_ there a chance?"

Emily stood her ground. "No. Not since you made it clear that your _job_ means more to you than I do."

This really _is_ the end, Andrew thought. "At least it isn't like we have a kid to worry about. That is the _last _thing that either of us need."

Emily's heart broke even more.

"That's that—I can't be with someone who doesn't want kids, and it's a _lot_ like we have a kid to worry about." Emily pointed to her middle. "The little guy or doll is right here. I just found out tonight."

There was a wild moment of silence. Andrew didn't know how to respond. He'd never wanted kids, and here… he and Emily had managed to make one without even trying.

"You're pregnant?" Andrew finally said, although very flabbergasted. "Are you sure? Do you have proof?"

"Besides wondering if or when I'm going to vomit, _and_ having a hankering for something _spicy,_ I saw the little one at the doctor's office. Everything about the baby is perfect." Emily touched her hands to her middle for emphasis. "That's really saying a lot because I chase crazy killers for a living. I didn't know because these last few weeks have been plain crazy at work, and then the case we had today screwed with all of us."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly, no."

She was shutting him out because they both knew that their relationship was at the end of the road. Finished.

He wasn't sure how to best pose is his next thought, so all he got out was, "When...?"

"It was the November blizzard, eleven weeks ago. Remember?"

D.C. had been shut down two days before Thanksgiving, thanks to a massive snowstorm. Andrew had stayed with Emily at her apartment because her building had a generator. They hadn't lost power. All the same, they'd found ways to pass the time. _Lots _of ways.

"I definitely remember, but I don't think I'll ever be able to forget. We had fun."

"We did." Emily admitted. "I really didn't start thinking about a pregnancy until recently because these last few weeks have been really catching up with me. Forgiving myself wouldn't be an option if something happened."

"So… you're keeping it?"

Andrew almost sounded disappointed. Emily's heart finally fell to the floor.

"Of _course_ I am!" she cried.

Andrew tried to steer her away from her flights of fancy. "But you said it yourself that you chase crazy killers for a living. How are you going to do that, _and_ raise a kid?"

"I'm hardly the first person on my team or in the FBI to be a parent," Emily scoffed. "And I'll find a way because I always do."

"So then this means you're not going to give it up, either?"

Emily shook her head, amazed with herself that she wasn't yelling. "I want this kid because I've always wanted to be a mom. Ever since… ever since what happened to my last baby…"

Feeling like he was going to regret it if he didn't ask, Andrew said cautiously, "Was there a miscarriage?"

"No. I was a wild child, and I was afraid."

"You had an abortion…"

"I did. But it's been thirty-four _years. _This is my second chance." Emily smoothed out a fold in the carpet with one foot. "Obviously, I've grown a lot, and I'm a lot _more_ capable of raising a kid now. Do you really not want _any?"_

"I really don't, Emily." Andrew answered solemnly. "They're loud, expensive, and messy. I also have a government job I can't exactly pause."

"It doesn't seem like you're even willing to try to make an effort." Emily grumbled. No kid deserves to be caught in the middle of this crumbling relationship. I don't want to do it anymore, and I don't think I _can." _

"Okay, Emily." Andrew gave one last attempt at being apologetic. "I _am_ sorry."

She breezed past this. "Look—I don't care what you do with your life after this, but if your mind is ever changed about having kids, tell me if you and your future wife have one."

"Why?"

Emily remembered witnessing the damage done to the Jareau siblings by kept secrets. "Because _ours_ deserves the chance of seeing them out when they're older."

"I'll do that for you." Andrew said calmly.

Tears filled Emily's eyes. "It isn't for me—this is for the little one you're turning away. What I need you to do on my part is much harder: unless you have that other kid one day, I never want to see you again. We'll be able to move on without each other."

Andrew stuck his hands in his pockets. "I was thinking the same thing."

"On that note, I want you to be the one to draw up the papers about custody severance."

"I wasn't going to fight you on that, either. Just tell me why you want _me_ to be the one to initiate that part."

"It'll show that you can let us go, just like I know I can let you go."

Andrew's voice was heavy with resignation. "Alright—those terms work for me. Are you sure there isn't anything I can do to make you change your mind about England?"

Emily crossed her arms. "Would _you_ change your mind about anything you've said here tonight?"

"No."

"Then there's your answer."

"Okay, Emily. Good bye."

Andrew wanted to hug her, but she just took another step away from him.

"Don't touch me." Emily pointed towards the door, struggling to hold her tears back. "Just go."

Andrew collected his coat and left, closing the door behind him.

Emily wept.


	15. Chapter 15

Emily was feeling very sleepy by the time she'd cried herself out. She also knew that didn't want to stay in her apartment. Not tonight, anyway.

She found her house phone and called a number that she knew by heart.

Elizabeth Prentiss answered the call. She and Emily's father, Fitzhugh, were at home and unwinding after a very fun afternoon and evening with Sandy. Meeting her on the train that morning had been a very big twist in fate. The Prentisses truly enjoyed spending time with Sandy, and she, them. They had a lot more in common besides having a daughter in the FBI. This just made it all even better.

In Elizabeth's mind, hearing Emily's voice would be the proverbial cherry on top.

She was fast to answer the phone when she saw who was on the other line. "Chickpea, I was just thinking about you!"

Emily's voice was gloomy in her ear. "Mother, it's been a really, _really_ rough night."

Elizabeth held a hand to her heart. "Are you hurt?"

"In a manner of speaking. I can't be alone tonight."

"Where are you?"

"At my place. I need food, and to see you and dad."

Elizabeth tried not to lose her cool—something was definitely up. "We would love to see you. Would you like to stay the night?"

Emily nodded before she remembered that her mother couldn't see her. "Yes, please."

"Alright. Is there anything else you need right this moment?"

Emily glanced out of her window just in time to see an epic rain downpour begin. "I'll order a car. Give me a half hour so I shower and can get some things together."

"Then we'll get ready for you now." Elizabeth decided. "Emelise Adele?"

"Yes?" she asked.

"We love you more than you could possibly know."

These words from Elizabeth lifted Emily's heart a great deal. "Thank you, mother. See you soon."

"See you soon." Elizabeth returned.

They hung up. Emily set the phone back in its cradle.

"Okay, jellybean." she rubbed her middle as she stretched and got to her feet. "It's time for a change of scenery."

In due time, Emily was ready to go back out again. Braving the cold would be worth it tonight.

* * *

"Mother?" she called as she entered her parents' home and closed the front door behind her.

Elizabeth joined her daughter from the kitchen. "Oh, Emily, what's happened?"

"I'll talk about it when dad is here." she looked around. "Where is he?"

"Right here." came a voice from the top of the stairs.

Doctor Fitzhugh William Prentiss, PhD. was a bestselling author of popular fiction, who had been writing for as long Emily could remember. He was even a retired psychology professor. These days, he was just happy to be an author because his books made other people happy. He also accompanied his wife on most of her ambassadorial adventures. Fitzhugh's life was wonderful.

But his heart was at its fullest whenever Emily was around.

"I just finished making up your bed in your old bedroom. There's hot food in the kitchen." he joined Emily and hugged her before helping her out of her wet coat. "How did you get here? It's pouring buckets, my dear."

"I ordered a car." Emily told him. "I'm just happy that someone showed up."

Fitzhugh checked the weather app on his phone. "It's meant to last until at least noon."

"Great." Emily griped. "Here's hoping we don't have another case for a few days—I wouldn't be able to survive."

"Your mother and I want to hear all about why. Let's go."

All three of the Prentisses moved from the receiving area of the house to the kitchen. Its atmosphere was cozy. Many a heart-to-heart chat had been had here over the years. And always over food.

It was cottage pie, pan loaf, garden salad, and to drink, non-alcoholic hot toddys tonight. Everything was perfect to chase away the mundane February blues. These were also items that Emily had had growing up. In her lifetime, she'd had all kinds of different things from all across the globe, but treats from her father's home country of England had always been very calming and comforting.

The events of the evening just made the comfort ironic.

Elizabeth and Fitzhugh both ate, too, but they couldn't help noticing at which their daughter had tucked into her own plate.

"When was the last time you ate?" Fitzhugh asked Emily.

She pushed back her plate on the tabletop and thought about it. "This morning, before work. The rest of my day has been like a runaway freight train."

"Because of the case?" he guessed.

"Yes, but mostly because of the involvement with JJ's family."

"What happened? When we met up with Sandy later on, she made it clear that the case was the only off-limit topic."

Emily glanced at her mother. "Do _you_ want to know?"

"Yes, if it explains why you've had such a crazy day followed by a rough night."

"Okay. We had a case involving human trafficking, and it was brought to our attention by JJ's husband, Will. He invited us in because we were the first people he thought of. There was also immediately a catch about the first witness."

"In what fashion?" asked Fitzhugh.

"She was a child, as well as Will's and JJ's niece. Her name is Olivia Victory Spelling." Emily explained. "She was kidnapped and then let go. Sandy found her at the station."

Elizabeth grew confused. "How does _that_ work?"

"She's in town for the trading convention, and to see her family. It was all meant to be a surprise. Fate had other plans."

"I'll say..."

Emily laughed softly at her mother's wonder. "The station was in her sights at all because it was down the block from a drug store that she'd made a pit stop at. None of us knew that Sandy was even here until she bumped into Olivia."

"Amazing. Where was Olivia's mother? Or her father?"

"Olivia's father died recently because he was deployed overseas, and Olivia's mother was also taken today."

"What is her name?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

"Her name is Katherine Spelling. She plead with the abductors to release Olivia, and they listened."

Fitzhugh spoke up again. "So if Olivia is the niece of your best friend and her husband, then, does that mean _Katherine_ is JJ's younger sister?"

Emily became impressed that her father had pieced this together. "That's right, and it all had a happy ending. Thank goodness. It was everything in between that gave me enough stress to lose my appetite until just now."

"More about dear JJ's family?"

"Yes. JJ is a child of divorce. Her father even left home after a very unfortunate event, but the way JJ told it, she was describing abandonment."

"How awful. What age was JJ?"

"Eleven, and she hadn't even heard from him since until this morning. His appernce triggered a panic attack." Emily gave a shaky exhale. "For _me, _the scariest part of today wasn't even that the team faced and caught a psychopath, or even meeting JJ's stepmother."

Elizabeth held her hands in timeout. "Why would that be scary?"

"Her name is Hannah, and from what I've deduced, she's only a handful of years older than JJ is."

"Where were Hannah and JJ's father this whole time? After the divorce, I mean?"

Emily did her best to keep from seething at the injustice. _"B__altimore. _Neither of them ever told JJ."

"That's cold and brutal…"

"Mhm. They also both kept it from JJ until 2013 that she has _two _younger siblings."

"Two?" Elizabeth echoed.

"Katherine is a twin. She has a brother called August." Emily gave another shaky sigh. "JJ, Will, and Sandy know that I'm very loyal to the family, but _I _was worried about how well I'd get on with Hannah."

"Why? Is JJ's father not nice?"

Emily shuddered as she recalled hers and Will's min interaction with Clifford. "That's putting it mildly, but my worry was for nothing because Hannah is actually very nice. We even became friends. The scariest part of my day was being a buffer between JJ's mother and father."

"How did that go?" Emily's own parents asked in unison.

She told them everything, including the part about where she'd told JJ's parents about loving JJ the way she did.

"I can't say I'm surprised." Elizabeth remarked when she'd finished.

"Nor I." agreed Fitzhugh. "We've had a feeling for years now that you two are this close. She's lucky to have you, and you're lucky to have her, Emelise."

"Uh-huh…"

Emily pushed her plate back even further. She'd finally arrive at the crux of the matter, and it was making her nervous.

"Remember awhile back how I said that I was dating a man I met through work by the name of Andrew Mendoza?"

"Yes." Elizabeth said as Fitzhugh nodded. "You even showed us his picture."

"Well, the reason I'm such a mess tonight is because we broke up tonight." Emily's bottom lip wobbled in a childlike way. "I'm pregnant, and he has _no_ desire to be involved. Andrew doesn't even want kids. At all."

The rest of the story came tumbling out, and Emily started crying all over again. She spared no detail.

Emily's parents were shocked by what she was telling them—especially the part about rejecting a marriage proposal—but because she was their child and she was in distress, they comforted her.

Elizabeth hugged Emily. "We are _so _sorry that Andrew doesn't want to stick around, but maybe it really is for the best."

"Do you really think so?" Emily said hopefully.

"Yes. No good could come from being with someone whose heart isn't in it when a little one is concerned." Elizabeth said consolingly. "We are definitely excited that you're going to have a baby."

"Your mother is right." Fitzhugh added. "We are _very_ excited to meet the little one. You're going to be amazing."

Elizabeth rubbed Emily's back. "You know that we're here for you _all_ the way, right?"

Emily nodded. "Right. I love you two so much."

"And _we_ love _you."_

When Emily finally fell asleep in her old bed that night, listening to the sound of the rainstorm outside, she finally felt like everything was going to be okay. That was all she needed to know.

Her dreams were of nothing but a brighter future.


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry about the delay: my laptop was in dire need of a tune-up!**

* * *

Emily woke up feeling better. Going to see her parents had been the wisest choice. It had been awhile, and they loved to take care of her. It had been awhile since she'd experienced this.

"Are you quite sure that we can't persuade you to skip work today?" Elizabeth was asking. "You have a brilliant eye for curios."

Elizabeth's offspring arched an eyebrow. "Only because I've seen _Indiana Jones_ an unhealthy amount of times, mother. Everybody would notice if I didn't show up today."

"Then will you at least come and have another meal here soon? We'll cook you up something big and proper."

Emily could never say no to her parents' home cooking. "We both know that I already will. Just name the time, and I'll be there."

"Perfect."

Fitzhugh sidled up to Emily and tucked a drawstring bag into his daughter's purse. "These are some things for you that we collected for you at the convention. Sandy also made a contribution."

"Thanks, dad."

Fitzhugh added a second little bag. "These are presents for JJ."

"I'll give them to her when she comes in to the office."

Elizabeth buttoned a button on Emily's jacket she had missed. "Are you going to order another car before you leave?"

Emily felt like she was back in high school. "Yes, and I'm going to take it to the train station because there's a train that goes in to Quantico from there. That station even has a shuttle that goes right to the BAU building."

"And how do you know all that? You've been driving since you were eighteen."

"Spencer has never quite realized that I've remembered _all_ of his rambles from over the y—woah!"

Emily jumped when she felt her phone vibrating with an alert in her pocket. She checked the screen to see a notification from her banking app. Her father had sent her money.

Emily looked over at him to see that he was putting his phone away. "Dad? What was that for?"

"Money to get you to and from work." Fitzhugh said cheerfully.

"Thank y—oh, geez!"

Emily almost dropped her phone in surprise as it vibrated again; the sensation was very strong. This new alert was nearly identical to the other one. This transaction had been courtesy of her mother. More into her bank account.

"Lunch money." Elizabeth explained. "Now order that car so you're not late."

* * *

Things were noisier at the LaMontagne house.

When breakfast had wrapped up, Will called his wife out on something she kept doing.

"Babe, that's the third time you've checked your phone _before_ work. You expecting a case?"

JJ pocketed her phone. "There will always be another case, I'm here now. I promise. Do you want to tell the boys...?"

"Yes, I do." Will said. "How about now?"

From the kitchen island, Henry piped up, _"What_ about now?"

He recognized that his parents were speaking in code, and this interested him a great deal. They always had fun surprises. Even Michael gave Will and JJ all the attention he could muster.

JJ took the initiative. "We found out yesterday that there are two babies growing inside me right now."

"Wait, really?" Henry gasped. _"Michael_ is going to be a big brother? _I'm_ going to be a big brother _again?"_

"Yep, and I'm very pleased that you're so excited."

"Henry, do you know what 'identical' means?" Will asked him.

Henry gasped again. "My sisters are going to be _so _cute! They'll also be twins, _and _look the same!"

"Hey, now—you could be getting more brothers!"

But Henry didn't hear Will. He was on Cloud Nine, and heading off to the living room to consult his Britannica encyclopedias about twins. This just left Michael.

The boy slid out of his chair and walked up to JJ, but didn't say anything. The expression on his face told his parents that he was trying to put it all together.

"What do you think?" JJ asked of her middle child.

Cautiously, Michael touched one of his little hands to JJ's midsection. "There's two babies there? Now?"

"That's right! You're going to be a big brother!"

Michael definitely understood these words and he threw his arms around JJ in a hug. "Love, love, love!"

JJ's heart immediately exploded with surprise and joy at Michael's reaction. It could have been a lot worse.

She looked to Will, standing beside her chair. "I love _you."_

He kissed her. "I love you, too."

Just after they saw Henry off on the school bus, JJ received a phone call. The caller was definitely not someone she was accustomed to hearing from at this time of day.

"Matt? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." he said reassuringly. "Have you left for work yet?"

"No." JJ confessed.

"Would you like to go in together, JJ? You actually live right by a bus line that goes to the train station."

"I do?"

Matt laughed. "How have you been in D.C. for your entire FBI career, but you haven't figured out public transportation?"

"I _had _to learn to drive at sixteen because I lived on a farm in the boondocks. I needed to get to school _somehow."_ JJ protested. "Let me guess—New York City?"

"Born and raised." Matt said in amusement. "So do you want to go in to work with me? I can walk over."

"Okay. Let's do it." JJ decided. "See you in a bit."

Matt echoed the last part back before hanging up.

Will was hard pressed to contain his amusement. "I'm shocked that you didn't tell him the first thing you learned to drive was a tractor when you were _fourteen, _or that your first actual vehicle was a pickup truck by the name of Black Pearl."

JJ rolled her eyes. "Other than you and my parents, only Emily knows those things about me. We are _not_ bringing them up until Henry learns to drive. Deal?"

"Deal. _Have_ you heard from Emily today?"

"No. I'm choosing to take that as a good sign."

Will wanted to know just what had JJ so preoccupied, but he also didn't want her to fall down a rabbit hole. "What was Matt calling about?"

"Public transportation seems to be his preferred method of travel, so he played the little brother card and asked if I would like to ride to work with him."

"What a nice guy. This is what you were agreeing to, then?"

"It is. Matt's hoofing it over from Halifax Gardens as we speak."

"Got it." Will glanced at Michael, comfortable in his arms now, and planted a kiss on his crown. "Time to get this guy ready for the nanny. Come on."

JJ was fast to greet Matt when he finally arrived. She was the only one left. Everyone else had gone for the day.

"Matt! You're here!"

"In the flesh." he said from the top step at her door. "Everything okay?"

"We told the kids about the twins, and they're ecstatic, but now I just have the jitters for some reason. I'm not sure why." JJ told him. "Will you hold this?"

Matt took the clear umbrella she'd passed him, since it was yet raining, and watched JJ lock up her house.

"Okay." JJ joined him, took her umbrella and opened it, positioning it in place just as the rain increased. "Where do we go from here?"

They made fun conversation with each other all to their building in Quantico.

* * *

When JJ made it to her desk, she was met by an usual sight.

Flowers. Lots of them.

They also caught Tara's eyes as she passed by.

So she stood next to JJ, indicating a vase with a bounty of yellow roses. "These can symbolize friendship or a new beginning."

JJ's heart skipped a beat. "Does the tag say they're from Hannah?"

Tara checked. "Yes. How did you know?"

"We became friends yesterday, and it looks like she really meant it about starting fresh. Hannah wants a friendship with me."

"That's incredible progress. Who are those chrysanthemums from?"

JJ had picked up a vase in front of her without realizing what was in them.

She examined the card sticking out on a plastic pole. "August and Aurora."

Tara grinned slyly. "Chrysanthemums mean happiness."

JJ began to wonder when or where Tara had learned about the language of all things flowers. "August and Aurora feel that I make them happy."

Tara rubbed JJ's back. "It makes me happy, too."

A new voice joined them. "What are we doing?"

Penelope had walked over.

"We're checking out these flowers that I've been sent." JJ said. "Hannah sent the roses. My brother and his wife chose the chrysanthemums."

Penelope investigated a vase of baby's breath. "According to this tag, these were sent by Katherine and Olivia."

Tara passed JJ a vase of asters. "Check these out. They represent patience."

"They do." JJ confirmed. "They're my mom's most favorite flower, so they'll be from her."

Tara checked the tag. JJ was right.

"Lavender is a plant that attracts butterflies." Penelope was examining yet another vase. "I fell into a bush of the stuff when I was five, and butterflies followed me for a week."

JJ's heart caught in her throat. "The lavender will be from my dad."

"That's what the tag said." Penelope set the vase and moved closer to her friend. "Jayje? You okay?"

She nodded. "When I was a kid, my dad would always plant lavender for me _because _it attracts butterflies. He even planted them by the bush. When the weather was warm, I would wander the farm property with pens and field books, cataloguing the different species I found. There were a _lot. _I have the books in the attic at home…"

"That's a really precious memory."

"Mhm." JJ exhaled shakily. "I just didn't expect something so…"

She couldn't think of the word.

"Nice?" Penelope suggested. "Personable?"

"Both of those."

Tara presented her with a final vase. "These are from Emily's parents. I know for a fact that these flowers represent strength. Why don't you read the note attached?"

It bore a short but meaningful message. _'If you ever need anything, or parents to talk with, we are here for you. —Fitzhugh & Elizabeth'_

Emily's parents had sent JJ a vase of magnolias, in full bloom.

Tara set them down. "Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"I am, Tara. Thank you." JJ held on to the note. "Is Emily here yet?"

"Yes. She came in early." Tara motioned towards Emily's office on the catwalk. The door was shut, and the blinds were drawn. "She's been stewing."

"Oh, no," was all JJ could muster because she had a feeling that she knew exactly what was causing her best friend's bad mood.

_DING!_

JJ's phone chimed with a text from Emily. _Have you arrived?_

_I have. One moment. _

JJ hit the send button and looked at her companions. "I'm going to go check on her. Be cool, okay? No gossip."

Penelope saluted. "You got it."

Tara bobbed her head. "Message received."

JJ crossed the room and knocked on Emily's door.

"It's me." she called.

Emily's reply came almost immediately. "Come in!"

JJ entered the office, and nearly staggered. Emily had also received a vast amount of bouquets. JJ counted rather a few vases, placed strategically around the room. Offsetting the mood was Emily. 'Stewing' was definitely the proper word for her expression just then.

"Wow, Em." JJ sat in the chair opposite her. "You got flowers, too?"

She spoke like she hadn't made a sound in awhile. "I signed for everything you received, only to find that what was left on the cart was meant for me."

"When _did_ you get here?" JJ wanted to know.

"Seven-thirty. I caught the train in, and rode the shuttle." Emily elaborated. "I even ended up riding with Spencer I was on the same route he takes every day."

"Does everybody know to how to utilize public transport, except for me?!" JJ exclaimed.

Emily actually laughed. "What's the matter with you?"

JJ leaned back in her chair. "Matt gave me a lift home last night because he hadn't left yet. He also actually guessed about the babies."

"The man does have eagle eyes," Emily remarked. "But that must be a by-product of having four small kids. How did you get to work _today?"_

"Matt called me at home, offering to show me the ropes of the morning commute he makes almost every day. I said yes. The stop we needed was at the end of my block, anyway. Getting here was actually fun."

Emily's mood lifted very slightly. "That's great. Have Henry and Michael been informed of the twins yet?"

"Yes. They're both in orbit."

"Woah. What exactly did they do?"

"Henry examined his encyclopedias to look up twins. Once Michael understood what was happening, he kept hugging my belly and kissing it."

"I wish I could have seen that." Emily swiped at her eyes as a few tears fell. "I love your sons, and they're not even mine."

JJ gave her a kind look. "You've always been on the very short list of people they worship. Will and I are on that list, and so are Penelope and Spencer. You're the only other person."

These words tugged so hard at Emily's heartstrings that she felt like they were being yanked on. "Jennifer, do you ever have days when it feels like there's a storm cloud above your head?"

"Every now and then. Do you have one right now?"

"Hell, yes. I'm having Monday-type problems on a Tuesday."

JJ's next words came with extreme caution. "Emelise, this is _Wednesday."_

Emily groaned as her storm cloud grew. "I forgot!"

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Yes, but it's all going to sound _so _absurd."

"Michael can say 'irregular,' and he's _obsessed_ with Henry's Rubik's Cube. He can even solve it. My boy won't be four until _July." _JJ deadpanned. "Try me."

"My building is being tented for termites. It also has to be _fumigated." _

JJ wrinkled the bridge of her nose. "Bleh. What's the word on how long everything will take to complete?"

"Two weeks, barring any complications. Pest control wants to be thorough. " Emily groused. "The building is also old, so I really wouldn't be surprised if _anything _prolonged it by even a day."

"My fingers are crossed for speedy procedures."

"Thanks, Jayje. The super absurd part is that I got all this in a call from the city housing commission just as I was entering the building here. Guess what?"

"What?" JJ said with trepidation.

"The owner of my building is apparently _way_ behind on taxes, which means in conclusion that the property has actually been _seized_ for foreclosure." Emily rubbed her temples. "I have until the end of the month to be out. There's even a monetary incentive if anyone moves out altogether before everything begins in seventy-two hours."

This was the first week in February.

JJ thought fast. She knew Emily was wealthy, but she also needed to put the scene of her break-up behind her as fast as possible.

"We'll make it work. What do you want right _now?"_

"To sleep. Or cuddle with Henry and Michael. But no—I'm going to be homeless if I don't act fast. There's also the matter of having an elite FBI sector to run."

"We're going to make it all work. We _will. _Did you talk to Andrew?"

"Yes. Uh… he's being transferred to London for good on Monday. There was also a proposal that tanked." Emily touched a hand to a manila envelope in front of her. "Plus, this is is full of paperwork about custody severance."

JJ conveyed shock. "Fill in the blanks. Now."

Emily told her everything about the breakup. JJ's heart broke for her.

"I'm very sorry." JJ said when Emily finished. "Neither you nor the baby deserve someone like that. A door has closed, but a window is opening somewhere else. There will be a new person. Someone even better."

"I just hope that whoever the next person is," Emily huffed. "They're the absolute love of my life."

JJ reached over and patted Emily's hand. "Will and I are here for you, whatever you need. Have you told your parents yet?"

"Yes, and I told them everything I've told you. I've even received their full support." Emily softened up. "They are my _parents,_ but we're actually friends."

"That's amazing. Do you have any idea of where you want to live yet?" 

"No, and beggars can't be choosers, but it's just too damn early to deal with all of this. My parents _would_ gladly let me stay…"

JJ held back a laugh. "But they're your _parents?"_

"Exactly."

"Then you'll stay with us. Will would say yes because he cares for you as much as I do. We also have the space."

This was true. The LaMontagnes lived in a very large Colonial-style house.

"Would I have my own bathroom?" Emily joked.

JJ answered her with a totally straight over face. "Yes."

Emily sobered up. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you. This is incredibly generous."

"All that matters to me is that you're happy and that you have a safe place to unwind. I'll call Will in a little while."

JJ indicated the all the flowers.

"My dad sent me the lavender."

"So he _does_ care. Who sent the magnolias?"

"They were from your parents, as was this."

JJ handed her partner the note.

Emily read it and smiled more. "My parents told me last night that they've always had a feeling about how close the two of us are. They really value close bonds between two people because they've been best friends since 1958."

"What?" JJ sputtered. "But they had to have been…"

She tried to do the math.

"Ten." Emily snickered. "My parents were ten."

"Henry would be dazzled by that. Zara King—Primrose's eldest—is his best friend, and he has a massive crush on her. She has one on him. They're both ten right now."

"Go, Henry." Emily chuckled. "And I think you should know that my parents and your mother have gone to the trading convention together."

"Wow." JJ marveled. "They _are_ bonding."

"Mhm. They also brought presents for us."

Emily produced the drawstring bags from her purse, passing her partner the bag with a capital J stamped on it.

"This one is for you, JJ."

She opened the bag to reveal a pair of small framed canvases painted with intricate butterfly scenes. They were extremely beautiful. Accompanying these pictures was a silver charm bracelet bedecked in butterfly charms. JJ was also pretty sure that the silver was real. And vintage.

Emily's voice broke her thoughts. "Hey, those are all really nice."

"Thanks!" JJ chirped.

"Your mother clearly remembers that you like all things butterflies, but it looks like she told my parents. That's really sweet."

"It is, and I love it. What did you get?"

Emily pointed to a stack of worn books beside her. "USMC diaries. I collect from Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Getting to know Rossi over the years is what inspired me to start."

Emily's desk phone rang before JJ could mention that the man in the next office over was, to this day, the primary reason that she had joined the FBI.

"Who is it?" JJ asked.

Emily became puzzled as she put the phone on speaker. _"Dad? _You never call me at work."

Fitzhugh's tone was merry. "Good morning, chickpea."

"Do you _have_ call me that?" Emily said with exasperation.

"Who else is there?"

Emily's partner greeted him. "Good morning, sir. This is JJ."

"Hello, my dear. How are you? Emily's mother and I heard that you went through quite a lot yesterday."

It warmed JJ's heart deeply that he cared. "I'm doing much better. Thank you for the presents, by the way. I really love them. I also really love the magnolias."

"Wonderful. We also mean every word on the message with stuck in the flowers. Anything you need—Elizabeth and I will help."

"Thank you." JJ said in a shaky tone.

Emily quickly jumped in at this point because it looked like JJ was about to start crying.

"Dad, what did you need?" she asked Fitzhugh. "Did I leave something at the house?"

"No, chickpea. Are you and your team off on any adventures today?"

"Not today." she did her best to ignore JJ's look of curiosity at this.

"Oh, excellent. We would love to have you and your team over for dinner tonight."

Emily lit up. "That sounds amazing."

Fitzhugh called out for the other person in the room. "JJ, are you still there?"

"I am!"

"We definitely encourage you and Will to bring Henry and Michael along. Sandy will be here, too. Has she seen the boys yet?"

"No." JJ realized with a jolt. "They don't know she's in town."

"All the more reason for them to come. We're also inviting your Baltimore family, and we understand if your father declines."

"Alright. I'll get in touch with everyone later." JJ told him. "I just have a request."

This grabbed Fitzhugh's attention. "What is it, my dear?"

"Henry is due to take a math placement test at school tomorrow morning. Is there a place he could bunker down for an hour?"

"Yes. Anything else?"

JJ laughed nervously. "Are you familiar with mine and Emily's colleague, Doctor Spencer Reid?"

"Yes—the wunderkind. I've been reading his papers for a very long time."

"Before we caught the case yesterday, Spencer agreed to tutor Henry."

Fitzhugh put two and two together. "So Henry is expecting him?"

"Yes. Would it be alright if we came over early?"

"Of course. What time do you all finish today?"

Emily answered this one, again ignoring a curious look from JJ. "Four o'clock!"

"Outstanding. Chickpea, you can come over whenever you like, but JJ?"

"Yes, sir?" she called.

"How does five-thirty work?" Fitzhugh asked.

"It works perfectly."

"Your family and Spencer are welcome to come over then. Please relay to everyone else to arrive at seven."

"Will do."

"Very good. We can't wait to meet everyone."

JJ grinned. "I'm looking forward to it."

Emily chimed in, "Me, too. See you later."

The Prentisses hung up.

JJ watched Emily. All of the woes she'd previously had appeared to have gone.

"And how is your storm cloud now?" JJ asked her.

Emily beamed. "Storm cloud? What storm cloud?"


	17. Chapter 17

"Jennifer, I need you to promise me something."

JJ and Emily were still in Emily's office.

"Of course." JJ said. "What do you need?"

Emily spoke seriously. "You're the only one on the team who knows I was in a relationship. I don't mind if Will or your mother find out who my kid's father is, but I would prefer it if the rest of the family and the team not know. Can keep that secret for me? Please?"

JJ was a champion at keeping secrets. She knew secrets of everyone else on the team because they trusted her. Taking on another one where Emily was concerned was not insurmountable.

"Yes, Emelise," JJ promised. "I will keep your secret."

"Thank you so much." Emily breathed a sigh of relief. "My parents are also in the know, but I don't want to spend the next few years telling other people why I'm not with the father, especially when it isn't their business. It'll already be hard enough when I have to sit my kid down for that conversation."

JJ reiterated her promise. "You have my word, Emelise."

"Thank you."

Emily exhaled and centered herself. They needed to move on for the moment.

"I _do_ need to discuss an important item with you before we gather in the briefing room with everyone else." she said at length.

"Like what?" JJ wanted to know.

"I bumped into the director in the lobby, and he has a task for the team."

"What, an undercover assignment?"

Emily could see her partner tense up with apprehension. It was clear that she didn't want to deal with another case, but would take it if it was asked of her.

"Nothing like that." Emily soothed. "Actually, the director has noticed that the BAU has had rather a strong and heavy caseload, as of late."

JJ cringed. "Because I was ill at home?"

Emily chose her words carefully. "The cases were also actually hard. It behooves me to say it, but we're being benched for the next two weeks."

"Pardon? Are we being punished for something?"

"No—not in the least."

"I'm listening…" JJ said warily.

"The director just wants us to catch up on case reports, and catch just our breaths. The pay is time-and-a-half, and we get to leave at four."

JJ finally relaxed. "Well, I am all for that."

"Excellent." Emily stood and framed her middle. "Do you think I should tell everyone about jellybean?"

"You're asking_ me?"_ JJ laughed softly. "I'm your partner—not your _wife."_

Emily countered this quickly. "You're also my only parent friend around here who is a _woman."_

"Gotcha." JJ studied Emily's middle for a brief moment and looked up at her. "How far along are you?"

"Eleven weeks."

"Just like I am. We always waited until twelve weeks to tell the people we work with, and we're going to do it again." JJ showed Emily her own cute bump. "I'm just glad I can still hide it right now—I've always carried ridiculously huge, so I shudder to think what _two_ kids will do to my body. Good thing these ones are definitely the last."

JJ's words ended in an over-exaggerated groan.

Emily laughed. "I'm not in the business of hedging my bets anymore, so I'll take a page out of your book."

"Good. By the way, once Michael realizes you're pregnant, he'll probably treat you the same way he treated me." JJ said in a tone of note. "He would knead your middle if he was a kitten."

Emily opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. She was pleasantly surprised when she saw who had come calling.

"Dave!" Emily stepped aside to let him enter. "Come in!"

The old man entered the room and looked from JJ still at Emily's desk, to Emily herself, who was closing the door. Something was afoot. Again.

"Well, I'm having some serious déja vù from twenty-four hours ago." Rossi quipped. "What's wrong?"

"We have it handled." Emily told him. "I promise."

JJ nodded. "Can we help you with something?"

Rossi showed his friends a pair of gift boxes he had with him. "I found some things that I know both of you are going to love."

Emily sat on the edge of her desk, facing him. "Like what?"

Rossi handed her the smaller of the two boxes. "I know you collect USMC memorabilia, Emily, and this caught my attention when I stopped by the trading convention after work yesterday."

"I can't wait to see what you found."

Emily opened the box to find a very handsome and newly-polished USMC challenge coin. The front side featured a depiction of the United States Marine Corps insignia against a red background. The name of the organization could even be seen in tiny letters on the top of it coin. On the opposite side, three service ribbons could be seen with 'VIETNAM VETERAN' arching overhead. It was very neat.

"Do you have a Vietnam coin already?" Rossi asked.

"I don't." Emily stood and hugged him. "Thank you, so much."

Rossi hugged Emily in return. "You're very welcome."

They both turned to JJ, who hadn't said anything yet. She was lost on Memory Lane with her gift. It was a framed photograph. Rossi was in the picture, but what threw JJ was that she recognized _herself_ as the image's other occupant. She was also _much _younger. The event in the picture was a book signing. One of Rossi's. What was happening?

JJ looked at Rossi in amazement. "How…?"

"My publicist found a slew of old photos from yesteryear, so she had them developed and sent to me because she thought I'd like them." Rossi pointed to the frame in JJ's hands. "That picture was the first one on the stack."

"Oh, my God." JJ rose to her feet and handed the frame to Emily so she could see it. "That's amazing."

"How old were you in this picture, JJ?" Rossi asked her.

She recalled the memory very easily. "I was twenty-two, and wondering what I was going to do with my foreign language skills, and my double majors of mathematics and business administration."

"Then what? This book signing was at a _D.C. _bookstore."

"I went into the bookstore to escape a downpour, and I was already in town to sightsee. There was a sign saying that you would be there the next day. I got curious because it was one of the first things I saw." JJ's cheeks were burning at this point. "I found the book immediately and started reading. I couldn't put it down."

Rossi was hanging on to every word. He knew things about JJ, but not so much from her life before working for the government.

"I read the book in one sitting that night in my hotel room because I just couldn't get enough. That copy is on my bookshelf at home, where I keep all my favorite books. I left the event at the bookstore know what that because of you, Dave, I wanted to join the FBI. My application was even in the mail on my birthday because I was eligible."

Rossi felt very humbled. "Amazing. I'm so glad that I could help you decide what to do with your life. Look at all the good that's come from that choice to seek shelter in a bookstore on a rainy day."

"The last fifteen years of my life…"

"I remember that day, meeting you."

JJ looked at him in awe. "Really?"

"Mhm—you were wide-eyed in fascination the whole time. I always remember those ones."

"Why haven't you said anything, all these years?"

"I didn't want to freak you out, and I've been hoping for some sort of proof. Now I have it. No one deserves that picture in a frame on their desk more than you."

JJ hugged him. "Thank you, Dave."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you love the gift."

By the time he left the room, JJ and Emily were both feeling very loved.

Their visit from Rossi was just another reason why they loved their jobs.

For all the good and wonderful moments, just like this one.

* * *

JJ checked her watch. "Em, it's almost ten o'clock."

The woman in question looked up at the sound of her name. She had been daydreaming about spending time with Michael and Henry.

"Hm?" she said. "What about ten o'clock?"

"That's when we brief new cases with the team, remember? We have a _lot_ to tell them this morning." JJ rapped her knuckles on the desk. "You really need to focus. There's fifteen minutes until the top of the hour."

Emily handed the photograph back to JJ. "Perfect. I'm going to go freshen up."

"Then I'll call Will." JJ picked up the envelope containing the severance papers. "Have these been signed?"

"Yes. All Andrew has to do is file it. Why?"

"I'm going to get one of the guys in the mail room to retrieve it." JJ explained. "We can still make the same-day mail cut off."

"Thanks, JJ." Emily said sincerely. "I don't know what I'd ever do without you."

"Let's pray we never have to find out what that's like. You're stuck with me for life."

Once JJ had seen to it that her present from Rossi was displayed on her desk, and that the custody papers were in the hands of a clerk from the mail room, she stepped into her old office. Privacy was needed now.

Will was relieved to talk to his wife—the pace at his office was mind-numbingly dull. "Hey, cher. Where you calling from? The jet galley?"

"Shockingly, no. I'm in my old office."

"Must be important." Will observed.

"According to Emily, the director says that the BAU is benched for the next two weeks because we have to 'catch our breath,' as it was put. We _are _being compensated."

"How so?"

"Extra pay. We even get out at four." JJ sighed. "Will, are you sitting down?"

Pause. "I am now. Are you in a bind?"

"Not me. Emily is."

JJ told Will about their friend's housing predicament.

"She's really having a rough time, isn't she? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you offered her the spare bedroom at the house."

"I did." JJ said. "There's one more thing—Will, Emily _just_ found out that she's pregnant."

"Woah."

"The father is a man called Andrew, and we met him on the job awhile back." JJ touched a hand to the swell in her middle. "Things didn't go that well when they talked last night. At all. Emily even rejected a marriage proposal. She isn't doing well, but she's keeping it together."

Will felt the gears turning in his brain. "Sounds like she do with seeing Henry and Michael tonight."

"About that…"

JJ laughed and told Will about the dinner invitation.

"Well, that's that, isn't it?" Will said when she finished.

"Yep. What time are you done, since it's housekeeping?"

"Four-thirty." Will eyed the stack of papers on his desk. "Tell Emily to call me when she can—I'll help her move whatever she needs today."

"You are a gentleman, William. I'll make sure she knows."

"Okay, cher. I love you."

"I love you, too."

They hung up.

JJ arrived to the conference room as the others filed in. She and Emily were amused when Rossi, Tara, Spencer, Matt, and Luke looked to Penelope. This was the part of the morning where she started telling them about where they had to be.

Penelope had been drinking coffee from her beloved octopus mug and was very surprised when she became the center of attention.

"What?" she said in surprise. "I don't have anything about a case."

Luke lifted an eyebrow. "No?"

Emily cleared her throat. "Over here, if you please."

Everyone looked over to her.

"Garcia doesn't have anything about case because there isn't one to begin with." she said.

"And there won't be any for the next two weeks." added JJ. "We have some things to discuss with you all. It's nothing to worry about, though."

JJ and Emily tag-teamed in telling them about the director's directive. Everyone was very surprised, but by the time everything had been laid out, they were all the same page. And excited.

"There's also one last thing that we wanted to discuss with you all." JJ called over her colleagues' excited chatter. "It's a lot more fun."

All side-talk ceased immediately.

"Emily's parents know about everything that happened yesterday. As a way to help us take a load off, they've invited us _all_ over to their house for dinner."

"When?" Tara asked curiously.

"Tonight. My family and I will be there early, and so will Emily, because it's her parents' house." JJ told her. "Her father has requested that everyone else please arrive at seven."

Emily chimed in, "And JJ's Baltimore kin was invited, so they might show also come, but… her mother will also be there tonight, too."

_"__What?" _Tara, Luke, Matt, Spencer, Penelope, and Rossi said as one.

"My parents were actually on the train that JJ's mother was on when she was traveling here from Pennsylvania. They've bonded. A lot."

"It turns out that they were even going to the same convention." JJ elaborated. "I wouldn't be surprised if my mom is hanging out at the Prentiss house as we speak."

Rossi looked across the table to Emily. "Where do your parents live?"

"West Priors Place, at house number two."

"Got it. Should we bring anything?"

"Totally not necessary, but mother loves flowers of all sorts, and my father loves to cook. He's even really good at baking." Emily said thoughtfully. "Bringing presents or anything like that is not necessary, since this gathering is last-minute, but they wouldn't be unwelcome."

She looked at her partner. "Am I missing anything?"

"Nope. All of the boxes have been checked off."

"Perfect." Emily surveyed the others. "JJ and I will be in my office, reviewing case files, but I strongly urge the rest of you to go put a dent in your case reports. Dismissed."

The team recognized Emily's words as a thinly-veiled threat, so they were quick to disperse.

JJ called out, "Spence! Hang on a second!"

He stayed back and approached his friends, watching them as they got to their feet.

"Yes?" he asked politely.

"Remember how I told you that Henry has a placement test coming?"

"Yes! How are his nerves?"

JJ sighed in exasperation. "Henry fell asleep with his glasses _on_ last night, and holding his math primer."

"Because he'd been studying until he fell asleep." Spencer mused.

"I also informed Henry of you tutoring him, and he was overjoyed."

"That is very nice to hear about my godson. Has tutoring been relocated to Emily's parents' place?"

"Yes." Emily confirmed. "The LaMontagnes will be there at five-thirty, so that's when you should come, too."

"I understand."

Emily gave an approving nod. "And Spencer, I'm sure you've realized in the past twenty-four hours that the BAU world is shrinking."

"Yes. I'm still crunching the numbers on that."

"Of course you are..." JJ muttered.

Emily cleared her throat to keep her comrades from spiraling into silliness. "Be prepared for things to get _smaller. _We made the arrangements for dinner in a conference call with my father, and he knows you in a way."

Spencer was a published and well-respected author in the academic world, so these kinds of connections happened all the time. It had just never occurred with any of his friends' parents before.

So he was extremely curious. "What way is that?"

"He said he's been reading your work for years. My father is a well-read _retired_ psychology professor who has always worshipped philosophy, in addition to the things he taught."

Spencer had a 'mind-blown' look on his face. "But psychology and philosophy are opposites. How does that work?"

"My father never does anything small—ever. He also called you 'the wunderkind' when I asked if he'd heard of you." Emily gave Spencer a pat on the shoulder. "And mother has a memory like an elephant, so I know she'll remember you. Even if the only time she rolled through here _was_ in 2007."

Spencer's wonder continued. "Wow…"

Emily gave him a gentle push towards the door. "Now please go back to your desk."

"Okay…"

He departed the conference room at the same time JJ's phone dinged with a new text.

"Who's that?" Emily asked curiously.

JJ grinned and showed her a picture a selfie of Katherine and Olivia. They were enjoying themselves. Happy. Carefree. Katherine had even caught Olivia in the middle of a giggle. The White House could be seen behind them. It did Emily's heart well to see that they could do something as normal as going to see the sights.

"They both look like they're doing way better, JJ." she said.

"They are. Most of it was thanks to a night of good sleep after such a long day; Kit's been texting me to let me know how things are going." JJ checked the message under the picture. "She wants to know if they can come for a visit because she's itching to meet Henry and Michael."

Emily just thought it was cute that JJ was comfortable enough with her sister to call her by a nickname.

"I think we both know the answer to your sister's inquest." Emily said knowingly. "Go ahead and call the Baltimore family about dinner, okay? Come find me when you're done."

"Okay, Em." JJ agreed. "See you in a few minutes."


	18. Chapter 18

**I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to this chapter! **

* * *

Emily's work day went by a lot faster after the briefing. And working on case file reviews also helped to speed things along.

Emily was also pleasantly surprised when JJ suggested that she call Will because he was concerned about her. She was even more surprised to learn of his offer to help. A very nice thank-you gift would be in order.

All the same, by three o'clock, she found that she had finished her tasks for the day. Somewhat ahead of schedule.

Good thing she'd already gotten permission to leave early.

* * *

"Em?"

She looked up to see JJ entering her office.

"Hey, Jayje." Emily noticed her partner carrying a few folders. "Are those for me?"

JJ nodded. "They're finished reports of what happened yesterday. Mine is on top, and I also brought Matt's and Tara's because they completed theirs, too."

"Great. Will you please put those in the in tray on my desk?"

JJ did, and watched Emily continue to bundle up. "Where are you going? It's only three."

"The director knows about may housing problem, and he gave me permission to leave early."

"But now that that's been sorted out?"

"I'm going to get a head start on packing." Emily said. "I got in touch with Will, and he's going to meet me at my place to help when he gets off work."

"Oh, good. I'm glad you two are going to spend some time together." JJ's tone was one of approval. "And make yourself at home when you get to the house—it's your home now, too. We'll make up the spare bedroom later on."

"Okay, JJ. Thanks." Emily gave her a fond smile. "You are truly the greatest friend I've ever had. How did I ever get so lucky?"

"I wonder the same thing all the time about how _I_ got so lucky to know _you." _JJ held the office door open for her. "Go do what you need to do. We'll catch up."

* * *

West End shopping center.

Huge. Impressive. Popular.

Emily wandered aimlessly through a few stores, not paying much attention to anything. But it was better than being in her apartment alone. Here, she was at least killing time before seeing Will.

Emily soon wandered into the bookstore and sat at a table in the café. She also did something that she didn't often get to for fun because of her occupation: people watch. It was actually very nice to do when there wasn't an unsub to be scanning for.

She was at this activity for a few moments when—

A small, timid voice addressed her. "Excuse me?"

A nicely-groomed, well-dressed little boy watching her. Emily was taken in by his mop of sandy curls and his big hazel eyes. Just behind him was a woman who was presumably his mother. Whatever was happening, it seemed that the boy was experiencing a life lesson about something. Emily waited for him to speak.

"Excuse me?" the boy said again in the bravest tone he could.

Emily greeted him kindly. "Hi, there. Did you need something?"

He pointed to something behind her. "That, please. It's mine."

The object in question was a big stuffed letter Z made of red felt. It was propped up against the wall next to the table. Emily hadn't noticed it yet.

She picked it up, dusted it off, and held it out to the boy. "Here you go."

Elated, he took his toy back and hugged it close. "Thanks!"

The boy's mother moved forward at this point. Emily found herself thankful that she was already sitting down because otherwise, she would have grown weak-kneed. The newcomer was extremely beautiful. Movie star quality. And for some reason, familiar. But Emily couldn't put her finger on why.

She was distracted from ruminating further when she noticed that the woman's voluminous hair was a rich purple color, as was her dress—a number straight out of the 1950s. Had she been somewhere important that day? Or was this just the way she always dressed? Emily had so many questions.

And the woman's hands hands and fingers were also covered in a very intricate design. Were they clouds? Emily couldn't help admiring the handiwork because the ink was definitely real.

The woman was also leaning heavily on a forearm crutch made of black aluminum and bedecked in a gold star pattern. Emily was dazzled.

"Thanks for that." the woman spoke with a heavy southern accent. "We were in another store before Zion realized that his toy was missing."

Emily grinned. "I'm glad to have helped set things right for him."

The other woman shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she began choosing her words carefully. "Pardon me, but are you Doctor Fitzhugh Prentiss' daughter? Emily?"

She was taken aback—it was more often that she was connected to her mother before her father. "That's me. What's your name?"

"I'm Virginia, but I'm know professionally as Ginny Lynn. I know Fitzhugh because I also write. He's a mentor."

"Woah." Emily motioned for Virginia to sit down. "That's amazing."

Virginia sat opposite her, easing herself into the other chair. It didn't escape her notice that she had somewhat of a limp.

Emily began to wonder what had caused this issue, but just as quickly scrambled to not let her brain get carried away. Coming off as rude in any way would be terrible. She was happy to let Virginia keep talking.

"I've known _both _of your parents for quite some time, Emily. They're even very fond of Zion." she said. "Why haven't our paths crossed before now?"

"Maybe because I have a separate life than they do?" Emily shrugged. "My parents are about literature and politics. I'm FBI."

"Well, I'm very pleased to have finally met you. It's about time."

Virginia looked to Zion. He was in her lap now, and he had been watching the conversation play out.

"What do you think, Little Prince?" Virginia gestured towards their friend. "This is Emily. We've seen her picture before at Papa Fitzhugh's and Nana Elizabeth's."

_"Woah." _Zion said in a thunderstruck tone.

Very amused, Virginia tacked on an extra tidbit for him. "Emily is their daughter."

Zion understood this and looked to Emily for confirmation.

"It's all true." she assured him.

Mind sufficiently blown, Zion leaned back again to ruminate.

Emily turned back to Virginia. "So my father is your mentor?"

"Yes, and I respect him a great deal. What brings you out to this neck of the woods? No dragons to slay?"

"Nope—this is a housekeeping week. What about you and Zion?"

"I had a _long_ day of meetings. Zy had to come. As a reward for not being a capital fussbudget, he got to pick out a new toy." Virginia pointed to the felt Z. "This is what he decided to get."

"Zion has great taste." Emily complimented.

Virginia beamed at the praise of her son. "Tell me something about yourself—your parents have been telling stories about you for years because they're so proud of you."

Now Emily was beaming. It was always nice to hear from other people how proud her parents were of her. Hearing it from someone her parents cared for was very satisfying. Emily felt even more drawn to her new friend.

As for Virginia, she found Emily as attractive as Emily found her. All she wanted was to see if she was available. Maybe she would even say yes to a date. This woman was fascinating.

"Did my parents tell you about India, when I was nine?" Emily asked Virginia.

"Yes, they did. You _really_ slid off the elephant's back, into the water?"

"It was a hot day, and the saddle got slippery! At least I wasn't in the water for long…"

"That's definitely good. How did you stay stationary in the water long enough to get fished out?"

"The elephant grabbed me with its trunk and held me still."

Virginia gaped at Emily. She was astonished because this answer had been given with the best poker face she'd ever seen before.

"Did my parents leave that part out?" Emily guessed.

Virginia took off her jacket and draped it over the back of her chair. "They most certainly did!"

Emily laughed and told Virginia the tale of her most memorable vacation. She rarely shared it at all. In fact, she wasn't even sure if JJ knew it. The continuing expression of astonishment on Virginia's face made Emily glad that she hadn't brought this anecdote to light before now. It even made her simply happy.

These fun thoughts caused Emily to wonder how to ask Virginia if she could see her again.

"Have you been put off by elephants in the time since?" Virginia asked when Emily finished telling the story.

"No, actually. I really love elephants."

"Wow."

Virginia stretched at this point, owing to the fact that Zion had become so comfortable on her lap that was becoming like deadweight. Emily also suspected that Virginia was testing the waters. And with reason.

Virginia's dress had no sleeves and showed off her arms. This enabled Emily to see that Virginia had more tattoos to go with what was on her hands. Two very full sleeves, in fact. Emily had a few tattoos of her own, but she almost never met another woman with a lot of ink. Things were getting better and better.

"How many tattoos do you have?" Emily wanted to know. "I couldn't help noticing them."

"There's quite a number. Do you not like them?"

Self-conscious, Virginia made to slide her fingers off the table. Emily was too fast for her. She caught Virginia's hands and held them in hers. Virginia was putty at once from her touch.

"I really love the tattoos. They're beautiful." Emily told her gently. "Are there stories behind them?"

"Mhm."

"I'd love to hear them sometime."

Virginia relaxed even more. "O-okay…"

Emily stroked Virginia's fingers. She could see the effect she was having on her, and she really liked it. Feeling Virginia relax under her touch was very satisfying. Now she _really _wanted to her again after today.

Emily looked closer at the designs on Virginia's hands and fingers. She was right about them being clouds. There was even a tiny airplane inked on Virginia's left hand. It suggested some kind of globetrotting hobby.

"I see you like to travel?" Emily suggested.

It took Virginia a moment to remember how to talk. "I do. I've been around the world, Emily—I served with the corps in Bosnia and Kosovo. Somalia, too. It all feels like another lifetime ago. I was decorated three times."

Emily sat up straighter. "Oh, wow. Thank you for your service."

"It's my honor to have been able to serve." Virginia returned. "I loved every minute of it. I still wouldn't change a thing about how I got to today."

"No? And why's that?"

"Because I've met your parents, and they're the sweetest. I also have Zion. Knowing Fitzhugh and Elizabeth, and being Zion's mother have led to today. To you. To this."

Emily blushed. "Funny how life works."

"I agree, because look at this."

Virginia turned her right hand over to reveal another tattoo—a compass. Each primary direction was clearly marked, and the northern point was the longest.

"This was one of my first tattoos." Virginia told Emily. "I got it during a hard time to remind myself that one day, my True North would finally be in front of me."

Emily's blush deepened. She was directly opposite Virginia, and the way her hand was positioned, it looked like the compass was pointing at her. Fate? Coincidence?

Virginia played with Emily's fingers. "Do you want to get drinks together some time?"

"I would love to because I just had the worst breakup of my life."

"But…?" Virginia felt her heart sink slightly as she heard the caveat in Emily's tone.

"I have a little hitchhiker," Emily pointed to her midsection. "Who wouldn't appreciate it."

This took Virginia by surprise. "Oh. Drinks are definitely off the table."

Emily felt bad. "Sorry about that."

"No need to apologize." Virginia paused to think. "How about you come to dinner at my place?"

Emily hadn't been expecting this, but the invitation wasn't unwelcome. "Really? I would love to, but… I mean…"

She began fumbling with her words. Virginia found it very endearing.

"Emily, are you wondering if I'm single, or if I have any other kinds of romantic strings attached to anyone else?" Virginia asked her.

"Both…?" Emily asked hopefully.

"I _am_ single, and there are no strings attached anywhere else." (Virginia laughed when Emily gave a noisy exhale of relief) "What about you?"

"Definitely single, as of last night, and I have zero strings of any kinds attached elsewhere."

Virginia felt her own sense of relief. "Are you busy tomorrow night?"

"No. Where do you live?"

Zion chose this moment to speak up. "Emmy? We live in a clock!"

"Is that so?" Emily asked him.

Zion just nodded and giggled, dropping his eyes. Emily had made eye contact. It gave him butterflies.

"He isn't wrong. We do live in a clocktower." Virginia patted Emily's hand. "Will you come to dinner tomorrow night?"

"Absolutely."

"Perfect." Virginia wrote her address on the back of one of her business cards and handed it to Emily. "Here you go."

Emily tucked the card away and presented Virginia with one of hers. "This has all my information. Call me, any time."

"I definitely will."

"Good." Emily checked her watch and then sighed. "Oh, no…"

The spell had broken.

Virginia furrowed her brow in concern. "Are you late for something?"

"No. I just have to get going in a minute because I agreed to meet a friend."

"Alright. I have to scoot along home, too—there's an international conference call I'm going to take part in."

Virginia looked to her son. Zion was dozing off in her lap.

"Come on, Zy." Virginia spoke gently. "Time to get up."

"Will you carry me?" he asked with hope.

"I wish I could, but it's a bad leg day."

Zion understood what this meant and got up. "Okay."

He even held his mother's crutch for her while she got ready. Emily also stood. She wasn't sure why. Maybe she was just that entranced by Virginia. The woman _was_ very alluring…

Virginia put on her jacket, and used the crutch to push herself back up.

"Here you go, mama." Zion chirped sweetly as he held out Virginia's purse and shopping bags.

"Thank you, Little Prince." Virginia took her things from him. "I see your jacket is a little undone. Why don't you ask Emily for help?"

Zion strolled over to Emily. "Will you please help?"

"You bet. Hang on."

Emily zipped Zion's jacket with ease. She even helped him with his hat, scarf, and mittens when he remembered they had been stowed in his pockets for safekeeping. Zion blew Emily a kiss of thanks at the end.

"Thanks, Emmy!"

She smiled at him. "You're welcome!"

Zion giggled again—he had really come to like his mother's new friend. The sound of her voice was also very nice. In one last attempt for contact, Zion hugged Emily around her waist before scampering back to Virginia.

"Looks like you've really made an impression on him." Virginia remarked. "It takes him awhile to warm up to anyone. See you tomorrow, Emily."

She nodded. "See you tomorrow, Virginia."

Sad, but only because she wouldn't be seeing her new friends for the rest of the night, Emily waved farewell and watched them all the way out of sight.

Then she checked her watch again.

"Now I _really_ have to go." Emily murmured to herself as she gathered her things and also left the bookstore. "Time to meet Will."


	19. Chapter 19

Emily lived on the second floor of a very nice apartment building in Capitol Hill. Standing outside the financial district with its eight floors, limestone structure, and friendly doorman at the front door, it was just pushing the cusp of grandeur. This building had been home for Emily since the return from England. But she had still been considering a change in location even before she'd met Andrew.

In any event, having time away, and spending it with four people she really loved was definitely the fix.

* * *

Emily had just begun gathering her clothes together when she heard a squeaking from the front of her apartment. The door had moved. It was open for Will, but she would have heard him call out.

So she went to investigate.

"Hello?"

Of all things, a soft _meowing_ reached Emily's ears.

Before her was a young Bombay kitten. It was black with a coat so sleek that it shone brightly against the overhead hallway light. Its only distinguishable features to keep it from being mistaken for a meowing fluff ball were its bright yellow eyes. These widened when the feline saw Emily. The meowing even increased.

But Emily knew this cat. She belonged to a neighbor across the hall.

"Hey, you little stinker." Emily scooped the cat up. "Did you get out again?"

The cat meowed even louder and started nuzzling her friend's middle as she curled up in her arms.

"Who's this?" came a voice.

Will had finally arrived. He was a little confused. Emily was definitely a magnet for weird things, but Will also knew that she hadn't had any pets at all after her cat. Where had this one come from?

Emily addressed the confusion. "Will, this is Lola."

"She's cute. And so little." Will remarked. "Who does she belong to?"

"The girl who lives with her parents at Number Nine." Emily motioned towards the door directly opposite them. "Wait for it."

Emily's words will still hanging in the air when the other front door opened. A young girl of about ten years old emerged, looking flustered. She changed her tune to a pleasant one when she spotted who had found her beloved pet.

"Oh, Lola ran to _you!"_ she said in relief to Emily.

"She wanted to come for a visit, Amelia. How did she get out?"

"I didn't notice when I took the garbage out just now." Amelia said sheepishly.

There was a garbage chute at the end of the hallway.

"Lola stopped by because she likes me." Emily gave the cat back to her person. "Here you go, kid."

"Thanks!" Amelia hugged Emily with one arm before maintaining her hold on Lola again. "See you!"

Amelia and Lola departed back in to Number Nine.

Will turned to Emily as the door closed.

"I really want a cat." he said wistfully.

Emily laughed. "What's holding you back?"

"JJ. She says no four-legged pets until the kids are older."

"But didn't your wife grow up on a farm?" Emily asked, hands on her hips.

"Yes. _I_ always had dogs growing up in New Orleans, but there were all at one point—and I kid you not—goats, pigs, Pekin ducks, rabbits, chickens, cows, _and_ horses around at East Iron Hill Farm."

"Wow. I never knew that before. That's really amazing."

Will stomped his foot. "And JJ _still _won't bend the pet rule."

Emily gave her friend a pat on the shoulder. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." Will stuck his hands in his pockets. "What needs to be done first?"

"The fridge needs emptying, but I promise you that it's nothing traumatic." Emily beckoned for him to follow. "This way."

The refrigerator was at the end of the kitchen. It wasn't very full, but still just full enough to tell that only one person lived in the apartment.

Emily pulled a trash bag out of a nearby cabinet. "Everything has to go, otherwise it'll spoil."

"I got this." Will said. "I'll put all the food in the trash bag, empty any liquids into the sink, and save the Tupperware. Where exactly is that chute you and Amelia were chatting about?"

"At the end of the main hall, all the way to the right."

"Got it."

"Perfect. We can check on the freezer when the fridge is empty." Emily decided. "I'll be over here."

She began unloading her dishwasher and putting its clean contents away. This was a fast process when one lived alone.

After that, Emily began gathering up the belongings that she most wanted while she would be staying at the LaMontagne house. This included her favorite books—a handful of which were in foreign languages—as well as her chess set, and her favorite collections. She even brought her photo albums. Maybe she'd show them to Virginia.

Emily did pause to help Will check the freezer, and to run a mountain of dirty dishes that had stacked up. Thank goodness the dishwasher acted fast.

However, Emily found that her shoes, clothes, and makeup took the longest. This was mostly because she was trying to figure out what to wear for her date.

"Are you alright?" Will was in the doorway of the bedroom.

Emily nodded. "How much do you know about what's happened to me in the past twenty-four hours?"

"JJ said that you're pregnant, but that you broke up with the father, and that he's a man you met on the job."

"That's it in a nutshell, but… uh… I've already met someone else." Emily felt herself turning red. "It's a long story."

Will said wryly, "Did this person ask you out?"

"She did, and I said yes. It's at her place tomorrow night. I'm just not sure of what to wear."

"Get a few nice outfits that you like the best, and pack those, too. JJ will be more than happy to help you out."

Will's advice took a big weight off Emily's shoulders. She hadn't been able to see the forest for the trees—because her brain had been one hundred percent focused on Virginia. Again. Emily had it bad for this woman. She'd fallen for her at first sight.

"Thanks, Will. That's really helpful." she finally told him. "Do you have any sisters?"

"Just you. I grew up without any siblings." Will replied with a little bit of sadness. "I always imagined having a sister, though, and then you fell into my life at the same time as JJ. It was the universe's way of looking out."

He cleared his throat and motioned to the packed luggage on Emily's bed.

"Should I start taking this down to your car with everything else?"

"Yes." Emily tossed him her car keys from her pocket. "Please do that. I shouldn't be too much longer."

And she wasn't.

* * *

Will brought all of Emily's new things up to her new bedroom. When that was done, he even showed her where the gun safe was.

"Emily," Will said when their service weapons had been put away. "Are you close with your mom?"

"Yes. She pushes my buttons _because_ she's my mother, but we are definitely close." Emily responded. "Why?"

"Mine dropped out of my life—or something—when I was very small, and I don't remember her at all. I can't even remember her name because my father wouldn't say it. He pretended she didn't exist." Will shuffled his feet. "Katrina took all the records."

"Oh, Will. I'm sorry."

"So am I, _but _JJ and I just made the decision to find her." he said confidently. "I would love it if you helped us."

Emily's heart jumped. "I'm _honored _that you want me along on such an important endeavor. Of course I'll help."

"Thanks, Emily." Will gave her a quick hug. "The only other person besides you and JJ who knows these things about my mother is my mother-in-law. She's an amazing secret keeper."

"I've actually been picking up on that, and I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks again. I would also appreciate it if the whole thing about searching for my mother stays between us and JJ."

"I am a vault." Emily said seriously.

_"And_ the best big sister anyone could hope for." Will tacked on.

"I do my best." Emily checked her watch. "What time will the boys get home?"

Will studied his own watch. "Pretty soon, actually."

"Then on that note, I'm going to put on something clean and head over to my parents' place."

"Got it. See you later."

In the spare bedroom, Emily changed out of her work apparel and into something more casual. Then she stopped to assess herself in the mirror on the back of the bedroom door.

"Okay, little jellybean." Emily looked down and lightly rubbed her middle with her knuckles. "We have a roof over our heads, and we're with people who love us. We're going to be okay. I think we're gonna like it here."


	20. Chapter 20

Emily was pleasantly surprised to see who answered her parents' door, instead of the usual house help. It was JJ's mother.

"Hey, Sandy." Emily greeted her as she put her things away in the front closet. "I'm really happy to see you."

Sandy hugged her. "Have you been able to slow down yet?"

"There's no good way to answer that." Emily said honestly. "Remember at the hospital when you asked me how I was, and I said I was fine?"

Sandy nodded. "Yes."

"You also touched my hands like you knew a secret that I didn't." Emily gave a shaky laugh. "I found out yesterday that I'm pregnant, and when I told the father, he walked out."

"I'm so sorry." Sandy gave her a quick hug. "A better avenue is coming."

"I hope so. My ex's name is Andrew, and we met because of work. Turns out he's being transferred to _London _on Monday. He even proposed and asked me to go with him."

"Did you say no?"

"I did, and we officially severed ties this morning."

"Better avenues _will_ come." Sandy told her. "I know I'm old enough to be your mother, but you are more than welcome to count on me as a friend. I mean it."

"Thank you." Emily replied.

Sandy motioned to Emily's middle. "Your little one can even count on me as a grandmother. I care about you and your well-being."

Emily hugged her in more thanks and then looked around. "Where have my parents gotten to?"

The ambassador and the doctor were in the kitchen, hard at work on various dinner dishes.

"Hi, chickpea." Elizabeth said in welcome. "How are you?"

Emily griped, "I'm wishing I could have a drink. Sandy knows what happened to me yesterday, but _more_ things have occurred."

"Will you tell us what?"

Emily made herself comfortable on a barstool at the island. "There have been some 'issues' about my apartment building."

She told them everything, including the moving out incentive. It was very comforting to be around adults that weren't associated with the FBI.

"The LaMontagnes have come to my rescue in a very big way." Emily said when she finished. "JJ and Will have invited me to stay until I get a new place."

Sandy brightened. "Oh, that's lovely. When will you be moving in?"

"Tonight, and Will just helped me bring some things over to the house. That's where I've just come from. JJ even seems to be confident that we can beat the moving out deadline."

"But you just need to sleep on it?" guessed Fitzhugh. "Your bed is upstairs if you want it."

"I think I'll be okay. Oh, boy..."

Emily had caught sight of her mother now. She was wearing a very fine expression of 'the cat ate the canary.'

"We anticipated that you'd show up early, and guess what, chickpea?" Elizabeth said. "We have the ingredients for the stuffed biscuits that you're _so_ good at making."

Emily secured her hair with a hair tie from her pocket. "I'll make them, but I'll need a second person."

"I'll help." Sandy said quickly. "How _do_ we make stuffed biscuits?"

Emily's parents watched with fondness as she began explaining the process to Sandy. It looked like she was bouncing back to herself.

* * *

Five-thirty soon rolled around.

Emily went to greet the first guests when the doorbell rang. Sandy followed her, but hung back.

She watched as Emily welcomed the LaMontagnes in to the house.

"Hey, everyone." Emily saw to it that they put their things away in the front closet. "Thank you so much for coming."

"We wouldn't miss it." Will told her.

JJ tapped Henry on the shoulder. "Psst! Henry Isaac, where are your manners?"

Henry had been staring around—he wasn't sure if he'd ever been in a house this big before.

"Whoops." the boy gave his attention to their host. "Hi, Aunt Emily. I'm nervous about my big test tomorrow."

"I heard all about it." Emily told him knowingly. "You're going to pass with flying colors, and tutoring will help."

"Did Uncle Spencer come yet? He's going to help me study."

"Uncle Spencer hasn't come yet, but he should be here any minute."

"Okay…"

JJ addressed Henry in a pointed manner. "How about you give Aunt Emily a hug? She needs one. So do you."

Henry happily hugged Emily, quite unaware that such a simple gesture was reminding her that the world wasn't over.

Michael didn't want to be left out. He loved Emily as much as Henry did, so he leaned towards her. His arms were even outstretched.

Emily held him. "Hi, Michael. How are you?"

"I'm happy!"

"Good, because we're about to meet my mama and my daddy in a second, but I have a surprise first."

"Where?" Michael wanted to know.

Emily turned, taking the LaMontagne brothers with her. They finally noticed Sandy's presence.

She had to suppress a laugh at their obvious confusion. "Are you two alright?"

Henry walked up to her. "Nana? How are you _here?"_

"Magic. Are you surprised?"

"I am," Henry hugged her. "But I like it."

"Good." Sandy returned the affection. "So do I."

Emily approached, still carrying Michael.

"What do you think?" Emily rubbed his back. "Nana is here."

Michael said nothing, but only because he was yet digesting the sudden appearance of his grandmother.

Sandy stroked her grandson's cheek. "Do you want to look at books later?"

"Yes, please." Michael said solemnly.

"Sounds like a plan. Do you want to keep hanging out with auntie?"

Remembering that Emily was there, Michael promptly leaned against her. "Mhm."

"Okay, Michael." Sandy smiled at him. "I'm so happy to see you."

Michael just blew his grandmother a kiss.

Emily suddenly noticed one of the house help passing by.

She called out to her. "Margaux?"

The maid walked over. "Yes, Miss Emily?"

"Will you please take everyone over to the kitchen? I think my parents will be putting out snacks by now."

Margaux bobbed her head. "Yes, m'am."

They followed her away. Emily and Michael were alone in the front hall.

She brought him to the window beside the door. "Let's watch for Uncle Spencer now."

He made it to the house not much longer after the LaMontagnes did.

"Emily," he said after he'd put his things away. "You could have said _who_ your dad is."

"I guess I don't think about it because he's been a published author since before I was born. Mother has been in politics even longer. They're my parents." Emily shrugged her shoulders. "Have you heard of my dad through his writings?"

Spencer nodded. "Yes. I just didn't put it together until after you left the office."

"Well, remember—he knows about _you _by reputation." Emily reminded her friend. "My father is very normal."

"Okay, good."

"Now say hello to your godson."

Spencer grinned at Michael and proffered him a new Rubik's cube he'd had in his messenger bag. "Hey! This is for you!"

Michael gasped when he saw the toy and took it. "Thanks, Uncle Spencer!"

He then became absorbed in mixing up the cube so he could solve it.

"Come on." Emily said to Spencer. "Everyone is through here."

Emily led her friend through the front hall, and over to the kitchen. Everyone was happy to see them.

Spencer approached Henry at the kitchen table.

"You know how important it is to get your noggin flowing before studying, right?" Spencer asked him.

Henry nodded. "It's _very_ important."

"This will help. I got it, just for you."

Just like he had with Michael, Spencer presented his other godson with a new Rubik's Cube. It was bigger than the one he had at home.

Henry was also very appreciative. "Wow! Thank you, Uncle Spencer!"

"You are totally welcome, Henry. Why don't you solve that once or twice before we hit the books?"

Henry took him up on the suggestion. Pleased that he was preoccupied, Spencer then walked over to Emily's parents.

He spoke to Fitzhugh first. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Likewise." Fitzhugh returned as they shook hands. "Emily's mother and I know all about the things you've done for our daughter over the years. You're family, Spencer. Calling Elizabeth and I by our first names is quite alright."

Spencer spoke to keep from totally freezing up. "I understand."

"That's what we want to hear. And please just relax—tonight is about having fun."

Spencer loosened up to the best of his ability. "I will definitely do my best."

Nearby, JJ laughed softly. "He's going to be a minute. I've seen Spence wear a path in carpet before, Fitzhugh."

"What happens in California _stays_ in California!" Spencer protested in annoyance. "Dare I bring up North Dakota?"

"What h—" Will tried to ask.

JJ cut him off with an actual hissing sound. The story was very embarrassing.

Elizabeth suddenly called out in a sharp tone, "Emelise!"

She almost jumped out of her skin. _"What?!"_

"I think that's enough water in the pitcher, don't you?"

Emily had been filling up water pitchers at the kitchen sink. She had been thinking of possible presents to bring the next night for Virginia and Zion. Her mother's tone jolted her back to reality just in time to see that the pitcher was perilously close to overflowing.

Emily quickly shut off the faucet and leveled the water out so the pitcher would be usable.

"Sorry, mother." she apologized.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "What's happening in your head _now?"_

"I ran into one of yours and dad's friends today."

Fitzhugh looked up at this—he'd been watching Michael figure out his Rubik's Cube.

"Who did you see?" he inquired.

"Ginny Lynn."

The reaction to Virginia's name was nothing compared to what Emily had been expecting. At all.

"You _met_ her?" cried JJ, Spencer, and Henry as one.

JJ even dropped the book she'd been looking at.

Will didn't even try to hide his amusement with what was unfolding.

Even Sandy had a chuckle.

Indifferent to the chain reaction, Michael held out his completed cube with a proud, "Ta-da!"

Elizabeth and Fitzhugh laughed at all of them. They were more amused than Will and Sandy were.

Emily just shook her head at the mayhem.

"What just happened?!" she cried.

"It looks like our friend is the favorite author of three people in this room." Elizabeth answered.

"Well, she did say that she's a writer…"

"Is she ever." JJ blurted. "Em, Ginny is exactly a year older than me—we have the same birthday—and she's been a published author since age sixteen. She writes thrillers for adults now, but she's been working on a long-running book series. I've been reading them for a very long time."

Emily was more a reader of science fiction and classic literature. Virginia had never even crossed her path in the literary world.

"What are the books about?"

"A woman who goes through the rigors of training to become an FBI agent, only to realize that she'd really been recruited for a mysterious greater good."

Emily wasn't sure how to respond. The plot that JJ had just described sounded like what had happened to her when she first joined the BAU. But Virginia was her girlfriend—Emily's heart did a loop as this hit her—so she was eager to learn everything she could.

"That sounds pretty cool. What's the first book in the series called?"

Henry spoke up, excited that he knew a morsel of information about this very interesting conversation. "Aunt Emily? I also read the books, and the first one is called _Serena's Gambit." _

"That's an interesting title. Is it the book that your mother dropped?"

"Uh-uh. She dropped the new book that just came out." Henry looked around. "Who has it now?"

Spencer did, and passed it over.

"Here." Henry handed the book to Emily. "This is Ginny Lynn's new book. It came out last week, and I'm almost already done."

That was really saying something. _Light In September _was a hardcover book, and very thick. Emily wagered it at over two hundred pages. She also noticed the name at the bottom of the cover, in raised gold letters. _Ginny__ Lynn. _Yet, she had introduced herself using the name she been born with. Emily had a feeling that this wasn't something Virginia often did.

She handed the book back to Henry. "Thanks for showing me."

He beamed. "You're welcome!"

Sandy joined the conversation again. "You know something about Ginny, don't you?"

"I know her _name."_

Once again, JJ, Spencer, and Henry spoke in surprised unison. "What is it?"

Emily was taken aback. "Don't any of you know?"

"We don't, actually. The dust jackets on her books don't even have pictures of her." JJ said. "I've always had my guesses about what her first name actually is, but nothing has ever been confirmed. Not even once."

Emily wanted so badly to just leave the room to call Virginia, but she stayed on the path. "So the fact that she told me her name _and _approached me first means _what?" _

Henry interjected again. "Aunt Emily, it means you met a _unicorn! _What if you _marry_ her?"

"Slow your roll, nephew! I only just met her today!"

Spencer stood up, tugging on his godson's shirt sleeve. "Time to study. Come on, Henry."

"But—"

Will intervened. "You heard your uncle. Up and at 'em, son."

Henry got to his feet as he voiced his disappointment. "Aw, man."

Fitzhugh beckoned to him. "I'll show you and Uncle Spencer a study space. Where's your backpack?"

"By the front door."

Henry and Spencer followed Fitzhugh out of the room.

"Wait for me!" Michael cried, immediately dashing after his brother. "Wait!"

Will sighed, calling, "Watch out, Michael Jesse—I don't want you to crash!" as he followed behind in close pursuit.

Emily sat at the table, in the seat beside JJ. Their mothers were opposite them.

"Why is my life _never_ quiet?" Emily groaned.

Elizabeth winked at her. "Where do I start, chickpea? India? Ukraine? Perth? Seoul?"

Sandy looked curiously from one Prentiss to the other. "Did you live in all of those places?"

"Elizabeth," JJ said swiftly before any awkward stories could be told. "How long _have_ you and Fitzhugh known Ginny?"

The ambassador thought about it. "Since she was about seventeen—she found Fitzhugh through a mutual friend, and came seeking advice for her next book."

"Where was _I_ when Ginny wandered into the picture?" Emily demanded.

"Saving the world with your government work." Elizabeth said matter-of-factly. "There's also the part where you have a number of years on her."

"Hey! I am _not _a dinosaur!"

"You said it, Emily, not her." Sandy said smoothly.

JJ spoke to Elizabeth again._ "You _know Ginny's name, don't you?"

"I know her _full_ name. Unicorn that she is, and friend that I am, my lips are sealed. You'd have to earn it."

"But _how—"_

Emily swooped in. "Mother, do you know what the _deal_ is with Ginny?"

Elizabeth read in between the lines. "Do you mean the limp?"

"Yes. Do you know how she got it?"

"Yes."

Emily sighed at her mother's short response. "But you're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Nope."

Emily rubbed her temples. _"I_ have to earn _that?"_

"That's right. Best of luck."

Elizabeth stood now, speaking to Sandy.

"I want to show you something upstairs."

Both mothers departed. Emily and JJ were the last ones in the kitchen.

"It's official." Emily told her partner. "Our families have bonded _because_ of the friendship that the two of us have."

"I wouldn't change a thing about it," replied JJ. "Especially because it led to a road called Ginny Lynn."

At once, Emily squirmed in her chair. "She told me when we were talking that she wouldn't have changed anything about how she got to today because it led to our meeting."

"Wow. She _likes_ you."

Emily turned a slight shade of red. "Ginny asked me out."

JJ gasped in surprise. "Really? Is this what happened when you cut out of Quantico early?"

"Quite literally by chance, but yes. I was even asked to drinks."

"Please tell me that you told Ginny that you have a very solid reason to skip drinks altogether."

"I did." Emily said calmly.

"And…?" JJ prodded her.

"Ginny didn't even seem bothered _at all_ that I'm pregnant because she immediately changed lanes and invited me to dinner. At her place. I accepted."

"Oh, my God..."

"I'm glad because I _really_ like her already." Emily went on. "The feeling is mutual on her part, and… uh… I wanted to kiss her good night."

"Wow." JJ reflected in wonder. "It makes me so happy to see _you_ this happy when you're talking about someone you care for. Things are already looking up. What time is your date?"

"Ginny didn't say." Emily realized with a start. "I should ask her later. Apparently, she had to get home for an international conference call."

"I'll help you pick out an outfit when you have your ducks in a row. I'll paint your nails, too." JJ decided. "A trip to the boutiques also wouldn't hurt."

Emily did her best not to sigh. JJ loved shopping more than she did. "What on earth_ for?"_

"Valentine's Day, for starters. You're already glowing when you talk about Ginny. Something tells me that you two are going to be hanging out again by then."

JJ had Emily there—she had already been imagining this, too. Perhaps her phone call would turn into a FaceTime video. That would be easier.

"Yeah, probably. Do you have any purple nail polish? The darker, the better."

"I have several dark shades." JJ answered. "Why?"

"Ginny's hair is dark purple."

"Get out." JJ said, breathless with interest.

"It's totally true. We flirted, but now I want to flatter her or something. Do you think that's too much?"

"No. I think it's just right, and _very_ flattering." JJ decided. "Now—there _is_ one other matter that Will wanted me to talk to you about."

"And what might that be?"

"Clearing everything out of your apartment. If you had help, do you think to could be out by tomorrow?"

Emily nodded. "Yes, but I'd need somewhere to put it all. I also need to start finding a new place to live."

JJ patted Emily's hand. "We _want_ you to stay with us."

"Oh, JJ, I couldn't—"

"You_ can,_ and you _will._ For as long as you need." JJ said firmly. "It'll do you a lot of good."

Emily felt a deep surge of affection towards her best friend for the umpteenth time in twenty-four hours.

"Thank you, Jennifer, from the bottom of my heart." she said. "I just have one condition."

"Yes?"

"That I not stay at your house for _too_ long. I have to be _somewhere_ before I start nesting."

JJ laughed. "You've got a deal."

Emily stood and looked around. "It is _too _quiet in this house."

JJ also stood, and realized that Emily was right. "Spence and Henry will have started studying by now."

"But that leaves my parents, your husband, and your baby boy. All most likely in the _attic."_

"Where your childhood pictures are. You want to go run interference before they get to inconvenient material?"

"Exactly." Emily motioned for JJ to follow her through a door at the end of the kitchen. "Come on. There's a back entrance to the attic over this way."

JJ hurried to catch up. "Wait, really? How old _is_ this house?"

_"__Old."_

And as they ventured up into the attic, Emily told JJ all about the history of her parents' home. It felt very good to talk about something so perfectly normal.

Just for once.


	21. Chapter 21

**Starie, this is for you. Word count is a thing ;)**

* * *

The Simmonses were the first guests to arrive. Well… two of them, anyway.

"Where are the kids?" JJ said in surprise after the help took the Simmonses coats for them. "Both of mine are around. Somewhere."

Kristy laughed. "We lucked out—Matt's brother actually agree to watch our tribe of weirdos when we asked."

JJ spoke in further surprise. "Hosea lives in town?"

"Uh-huh. He and his wife and their brood live about fifteen minutes from us. Abigail's place is just a little past theirs."

At the look of polite puzzlement on Emily's face, JJ enlightened her. "Hosea and Abigail are Matt's two older siblings."

"Got it." Emily spoke next to the Simmonses directly. "Hey—Spencer is already here, and I bet he's in the kitchen. Why don't we go say hi?"

The Simmonses liked this and followed Emily out of the front hall.

JJ stayed put, waiting on everyone else.

Tara showed up after the Simmonses.

Penelope arrived next. Then Luke.

Rossi, minutes later.

"You look happy." he told JJ.

"I am. It's a wonder what a whole day without a case, and an evening with loved ones can bring."

"Don't I know it. Anything you want to share about what's going on at home?"

Rossi still had suspicions of his friend's pregnancy, and was trying to bait her into a response. JJ deflected him.

"Not today." JJ noticed a tote that Rossi was carrying in one hand. "What's in there?"

"A 1999 Right Bank Bordeaux from the wine cellar at my place." he said. "Special occasions call for special celebrations."

"You've got no argument from me on that one. When you were outside just now, did you see anyone else?"

Rossi thought about it. "No, but I think someone is pulling up now."

JJ looked out of the window her friend was adjacent to; it gave her a view of the driveway and the lane beyond. August had pulled up in a decent-sized car. He worked at top speed to help his wife, his mother, his sister, his daughter, and his niece from their confines. Clifford was nowhere in sight. But JJ didn't care. Getting his bouquet had been enough.

"M'am?"

JJ turned to see that Margaux, the head of the house help, had arrived again.

"Yes?" JJ asked her.

"The ambassador sent me over to see if you need anything."

"I don't, but," she indicated her colleague. "This is David Rossi. Could you show him where everyone else is, please?"

Margaux nodded. Rossi followed her away.

JJ waited on the others.

Katherine, Hannah, and Aurora entered the house first. Lucy and Olivia were just behind them. August was last.

As the Baltimore clan was the largest amount of people to arrive, the full help appeared as if out of nowhere to take their things for them. They were gone again almost as quickly as they had come.

"Woah." said August. "What just happened?"

"Everything in this house happens at the speed of light." JJ joked. "I'm just happy to see so many of you."

Hannah said hastily, "Clifford elected to stay home. I'm sure you understand."

"Yes, but please tell him that I did receive his flowers this morning."

"Will d—"

Olivia spoke over Hannah, excited by a thought that had just popped into her head. "Aunt JJ! What about our flowers?"

"I got those, Olivia, so don't worry. They're on my desk at work. I'll see them all the time."

"Good." Olivia said with serious approval.

Lucy piped up, "What about the flowers that _we_ sent?"

"Also on my desk at work." JJ informed her.

"Hooray!"

The little girls then began to chatter to each other, discussing what they wanted to do next. Aurora took this opportunity to speak to her sister-in-law uninterrupted.

"Who all knows about the twins?" she asked.

"Will, Henry and Michael, my mother, Emily and her parents, and my co-worker, Matt."

"Understood. Our lips are zipped, and we've had words with Lucy and Olivia about blabbing."

"I appreciate that." JJ pointed to two flower bouquets that Aurora was carrying. "Who are those for?"

Aurora laughed as August lifted the bouquets from her arms and handed one each to the toddlers.

"I forgot I was holding them. The girls wanted to brings flowers to Emily's mother because they understand what 'making a good first impression' means."

"Elizabeth is going to love that." JJ beckoned for the small crowd to accompany her. "Time to head to the kitchen before they send out a search party."

Elizabeth was indeed quite flattered by the offers of the 'good first impression' gifts. Olivia and Lucy even found Fitzhugh to be very charming. Any nervousness they'd had was previously gone.

But then came a new obstacle.

Being introduced to their new family members. At least they had been warned ahead of time.

August, Aurora, and Hannah were easy enough to take in because they each had their own individuality about them. Katherine confused them because of her strong resemblance to JJ. It was difficult to digest the fact that she wasn't their mother's twin. Olivia and Lucy tripped the boys up the most. They looked like _miniature_ versions of JJ. The family genes were insanely strong across the generations.

"I know what you're thinking," JJ told her sons. "But they _are_ your cousins from Baltimore. Say hi."

Henry snapped out of it first and waved to the girls. "Hi."

Michael blew kisses to Olivia and Lucy. They giggled.

Olivia stepped forward and took Henry by the hand as she looked up at him. "Do you like books?"

"I do."

Michael told Olivia, "We have books!"

Lucy glanced about. "Where?"

"In the other room." Henry answered.

Michael proceeded to take Lucy's hand, enamored. "We'll show you."

And just like that, the newly-formed posse left for the main sitting room. They seemed oblivious to the surprise of the adults.

"Well, okay." JJ quipped. "That's that. We are _definitely_ all family here."

Everyone agreed.

* * *

Dinner was a big success.

Elizabeth and Fitzhugh outdid themselves with a meal of several different pasta dishes and casseroles, a variety of cooked vegetables, two kinds of salads, a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks alike, and of course, a mountain Emily's cheese-filled biscuits. Those were a huge hit. Brownie trifle was even on the menu for dessert.

Emily enjoyed being in the thick of things, and her parents were pleased to see their daughter happy. She was glowing.

However... Emily did notice at one point that Katherine had found a seat away from everyone else. She looked lost in thought.

Emily sat beside her. "Everything alright?"

"Yes." Katherine said softly.

"It looked like you were a million miles away just now."

"Sure felt so."

"You're in a room full of profilers, and even one extremely bright analyst, all of whom could sniff out your issue very fast. I'm the one who stops to think first."

Katherine absently played with a lock of stray hair. "It would be a lot easier to talk about it where it's quieter."

"Do you want to talk about it upstairs? Should I get JJ and Will?"

"Y—"

"What's happening over here?"

JJ had wandered over with August and Aurora.

"Your sister's told me that she has things she wants to talk about." Emily replied. "I asked her if she wanted to discuss it upstairs."

JJ turned to her sister. "Kit, are you in trouble?"

"Not per se. It _is_ rather pressing, though."

"Okay." JJ patted the younger woman on the shoulder. "And what about you two?"

JJ was talking to August and Aurora now. Both of them had become suspiciously quiet.

"There some items we also want to share." August admitted to her.

"Do you know what Kit is talking about?"

Aurora nodded. "Yes, but not all of it."

Here, the conversation was interrupted yet again, this time by Will.

"What happened?" he asked. "I thought were gathering people for _cards._ Elizabeth is wiping the board with Spencer at chess. He's ruffled about it."

Emily's insides jumped at this. Not many people could best Spencer at his favorite game. The fact that her mother was hard at it was both impressive and amusing. She really wanted to watch.

But it seemed that she was needed where she was. "Katherine, August, and Aurora have important things they want to share, but it seems that a crowded party is hardly the time or place."

Will surveyed the young people assembled before him. Each was related to him because of his wife. Giving them all a place to land was the right thing to do. Family took care of family.

"Why don't all of you come over for an early dinner tomorrow?" he finally said. "We can get pizza, and talk about whatever it is that all three of you are sitting on."

They liked this idea, but deferred to JJ and Emily.

"What are you all looking at me for?" Emily cried.

"You're important to us, too." August explained while Katherine and Aurora nodded with great fervor. "You're our family. Will you be there?"

"Yes, of course, but I can't say how long I'll be about to stay." Emily thought of her impending date with Virginia. "I think JJ gets to have the final say."

All eyes fell to the blonde. She didn't hesitate. "Will six o'clock work for everyone?"

"Yes." they chorused.

"Alright." JJ told them. "I'll send you all our address tomorrow."

Katherine was visibly relieved. "Thanks."

August and Aurora each expressed their own thanks before departing the group in search of card players again. Katherine decided to check on Olivia. Emily made for the chess players, post haste. Elizabeth was up against Rossi now. Their competition was fierce.

The LaMontagnes remained behind.

They were standing out at one end of the room, watching everything and everybody. Both of them felt that their hearts were very full.

"What are you thinking about?" Will asked JJ when he spotted a small smile on her face.

JJ kissed him. "I'm thinking about how much more full our lives are going to be, a year from now."

_"Very _full." Will enveloped JJ in a close enough hold that he could feel her baby bump against him. "I love you, Jennifer. I will always be in awe of this big, crazy family that we helped create. Life wouldn't be the same without any one of them."

"Isn't that the truth?" JJ agreed. "How about we go check out the chess game?"

* * *

A few people stayed after the party to help clean up.

This left Emily's thoughts free to run about Virginia again. On the other hand, JJ decided that this 'shift change' was a good time to try to pry more information from her partner about her. It was very fun to have a big sister in her life after all these years.

But Emily saw through her.

She spoke with her hands on her hips. "Jennifer Alexandra, I can read you like the back of my hand. What do you want?"

They were in the kitchen again.

JJ had rather a cheeky look on her face. "It's about your date—"

"Shut up!" Emily hissed. "I don't want everyone to know!"

These words were just out of her mouth when Penelope walked through the room, hot-footed. She was being chased.

"Jayje? Em? Help?"

Michael, Olivia, and Lucy were following her, matching her movements at the slightest deviation. Penelope didn't know what to make to it. The kids thought it was very funny.

"Just keep going." JJ called as Penelope and her ducklings passed by. "They'll sleep like logs if you wear them out."

So Penelope continued through the kitchen and back out again, her duckling tittering in amusement all the while.

JJ tried again with Emily. "So about your date—"

The next disruption happened as Emily's parents breezed in with Will. They had been having a conversation about future get-togethers. Their collective interest was piqued forthwith when they saw that JJ and Emily were trying too hard to hide their own discussion.

Will smirked. "Never mind what _we_ were talking about."

Elizabeth nodded. "You two are behaving like you _are_ sisters."

"They do that all the time, actually." Will told her.

Fitzhugh spoke to his daughter with an air of egging her on. "Well, Emelise Adele? What _was_ that about a date?"

She rolled her eyes in a very spectacular manner, realizing that she was cornered. Having a big family was going to take some getting used to.

"Oh, alright." Emily said in mock exasperation. "I _do_ have a date."

"With whom?" Will asked.

"Ginny."

In response to this, Will beamed like a pleased little brother. He also held out a hand to Fitzhugh. So did Elizabeth. Fitzhugh gave them each a twenty dollar bill. They'd settled some kind of bet.

"And what was _that?" _Emily inquired.

Will happily filled her in. "Your mother and I bet your father twenty bucks apiece that the whole reason you brought Ginny Lynn up to begin with today was because you have a date with _her. _You told _me,_ but you didn't say any specific name."

"That's very sharp intuition." Emily praised. "The date is tomorrow night."

She moved her attention her parents. Her voice was heavily-laden with apprehension. A lot of things hinged on this next part.

"What do two think?"

"I'm _really_ happy for you that things are looking up." Elizabeth said with true goodwill. "Ginny is a really fun and interesting person."

Fitzhugh backed his wife up. "Your mother is right. We really love Ginny. She's one in a million, chickpea. Bring her by when you're both ready for it."

Emily grinned at her parents' accolades. This gave her all the more confidence about being with Virginia. How she wished she could just talk to her already.

But she hugged Fitzhugh. "Thanks, I will definitely bring Ginny by."

Elizabeth held Emily's face in her hands. "We can't wait."

They hugged their offspring again and vacated the room. Will trailed after them. Emily and JJ were alone again.

"How are you feeling now?" Emily asked her partner.

Emily let out a shaky breath. "Happy. Content. The only thing I want _now_ is to call Ginny."

"Okay. Help Will and I corral the boys, and we'll go home."

Emily was all too eager to make that happen.


	22. Chapter 22

Michael wandered away from the rest when they were coming in from the cold at home. He was tired.

"I've got him." Emily told JJ and Will. "Just take care of Henry."

_He_ was also very tired. Helping him up to bed was going to be a two-person job.

Will answered, "Okay, Emily. One of us will be back down in a few minutes."

Emily found Michael in the living room, flopped over on the couch and still in his winter-wear. He hadn't had the patience to let anyone help him further. Sleep was the only thing he had on his mind now.

Emily sat next to him. "Hey, little buddy. Are you awake?"

Michael gave a huge yawn and a shrug. "Maybe."

"I'm going to help you up here and get you out of those things. Is that alright?"

When Michael nodded in understanding, Emily pulled him on to the couch and followed through on her word. She even draped a nearby blanket over him for warmth. Michael appreciated all of this very much.

He leaned into Emily and hugged her close. "Love you…"

"I love you, too." Emily whispered to him. "Very much."

Michael fell asleep smiling.

Emily kept one arm around him and the other over her middle. This time next year, she would be able cuddle with Michael _and_ the baby. Perhaps even Zion. That would be nice.

"Em?"

The elder LaMontagnes were now standing in the living room doorway.

"Henry is fast asleep." JJ informed her as Will helped her up. "Now it's time to get Michael in _his_ bed."

Will took Michael into his arms as he said to his wife, "I'll take care of him. Don't worry, cher."

He'd been aware all night that JJ and Emily had things to talk about in private. No need to further the delay.

"Thanks, babe." JJ said gratefully.

She kissed Will, and then Michael before Will exited the room for the main stairs.

"Thanks for helping him out." JJ said as they collected Michael's things from the floor. "He gets unbelievably cranky when he's overtired."

"Or he just slows right down." Emily observed. "I found Michael half laying on the couch because he didn't have the energy to finish the job of climbing up. When I asked him if he was awake, he shrugged and just said maybe."

JJ arched an eyebrow. "Then he was _very_ tired."

"Not too tired to say 'I love you' before falling asleep."

"You _are_ one of his weak spots." JJ indicated the things they were carrying. "Here—I'll show you where all this goes."

Emily grew nervous in the short time it took to put Michael's belonging away. JJ picked up on her behavior at once.

"Time to call Ginny, huh?" she guessed.

Emily bobbed her head. "Uh-huh. I'm going to Skype her."

JJ smirked. "You just want to see her face."

"Guilty."

"Just be yourself, Emelise. Find me when you're done—I was very serious about painting your nails."

JJ didn't have to say the words for Emily to know that she was making herself available to talk her feelings out with later.

"Thanks." Emily squeezed JJ's elbow gently. "And Will showed me where my room is."

"Good. We made it and that bathroom up for you this afternoon, so everything is ready now."

"Thanks again. I'll see you when I come back."

Emily's room was on the second floor, beside the soundproofed utility room, and away from the part of the house where the rest of the family slept. These conveniences meant that Emily wouldn't have to worry too much about making a lot of noise while talking to Virginia. They would also be able to talk without being overheard.

After taking off her makeup and changing in to pajamas, Emily finally got to entering Virginia's information into her tablet. She even added a heart after her name.

Just as the device registered the saved contact, the screen lit up with an incoming Skype call.

_Virginia_ was calling first. This made Emily's heart cartwheel. So did noticing that Zion was in his mother's lap.

Emily greeted them both. "Hey, you two."

"Hey." Virginia echoed. "I hope this isn't too late to call."

"Any time is a perfect time to call me." Emily assured her.

"That's good to hear." Virginia kissed the top of Zion's head. "Someone couldn't stop talking about his new friend Emmy. Says he won't sleep until he talks to her."

Emily gazed upon Virginia's mini-me. "Hi, Zion."

"Hi, Emmy." he answered shyly.

"Why are you awake? It's late."

Zion shrugged. "I don't know. I wanted to see you."

His honesty turned Emily into a puddle of goo on the spot.

"I'm happy to see you." Emily said to Zion. "It _is_ time for sleep bed now."

Zion heaved an overdramatic sigh. "Okay, okay…"

Emily thought fast. "If you go to bed now, my little bird, I'll bring a present tomorrow."

This enticement caught Zion's attention and he sat up straighter. "Okay! Night, Emmy!"

Zion blew her a kiss before zooming out of the frame. After a few moments, a door could be heard slamming in the distance.

"That's him take care of. Zion wouldn't stop asking me questions about you, _all_ evening." Virginia explained. "I wore him out and kept him distracted with lots of games. Dollars to donuts, he'll be asleep on five minutes or less."

"Wow." Emily remarked. "He sounds very predictable."

"You have _no_ idea."

Emily settled herself on her bed. "You beat me to the punch with a video call—I was about to do the same. Did you use your son as an excuse to call me?"

Virginia turned a slight shade of red. "Maybe so."

"You _definitely_ did." Emily teased her gently. "I've also figured out just who you are, _Ginny Lynn,_ and by that, I've leanred what you write."

Virginia's embarrassment turned to curiosity. "Been googling me?"

"No, actually. There are some people in my family that have been longtime fans of yours."

"I thought it was just you and your parents." Virginia said in confusion.

"Oh." Emily laughed. "My team is like my family, and we've been through a lot together in the thirteen years I've been part of the unit."

"Life-altering experiences really do bond everyone who goes through them together. I have comrades from combat like that. What happened to you?"

Emily didn't hold back with her answer. "I periodically attract 'over your head' trouble, and I _have _had encounters with actual bad guys. One of them engaged me in a fight to the death. Literally."

"Are you saying that you actually _died?" _Virginia squawked.

"Yes, but the doctors brought me back to life again. Then I hid in Paris for the longest seven months _ever, _under an assumed identity so I could heal in peace. My monster has been dead for eight years now because he met his match in us."

"And you're alive. You're here." Virginia praised. "I think that's extremely incredible. Did your team help you through everything?"

"That time, and many others." Emily confirmed. "How are you not freaking out?"

"I've seen combat, and I was a detective in the Deep South for quite some time."

This factoid impressed Emily. "What brought you up here?"

"It's a long story, but I was recovering from something and chose to relocate to where the rest of my family was." elaborated Virginia. "The whole thing ended up forcing me into early retirement."

"Do you miss that part of your life?"

Virginia shook her head. "Not as much as I thought I would. I enjoy writing, and being Zion's mama a lot more. Everything that I've been through in the past has led me to today."

Emily found herself more awed than ever by Virginia's resilience. "You're amazing."

"Right back at you, gorgeous." Virginia began guiding them out of the rabbit hole they'd fallen down. "Wasn't this first about how you figured out who I am because your family clued you in?"

"Yes." Emily blushed. "My bad."

"It's nothing to apologize for—I'm just glad you made the connection. What did your family do?"

Emily told Virginia about the chain reaction of reactions that had followed her name-dropping the pseudonym of their favorite author.

"Marvelous." Virginia said when she was done. "Just marvelous."

Emily grinned wryly. "There _is_ one thing I'm curious about. Why do you play your name so close to the vest? All this, and I still haven't heard what your _last name_ is. My parents told me I had to earn it."

"That doesn't surprise me. They've always been respectful about preserving my anonymity."

"My parents are nice like that. They also said I had to earn it with you when I asked if I knew the reason why..."

Emily stopped to choose her words as carefully as she could.

Virginia was able to guess. "You mean why I have a limp? It's okay to talk about."

"Okay." Emily said nervously. "It's new territory for me, being with someone who is different…"

"And I haven't dated since before my move up here. _That_ was well before Zion. We can tackle this new world together." Virginia said confidently. "As for my literary career, I decided to operate with a pseudonym for the sake of my anonymity."

"Then why tell me your actual name at our first meeting?" Emily prodded. "According to my nephew, your doing so means that I met a unicorn."

Emily held back the part about Henry's marriage prediction. She liked Virginia very much, but she didn't want to freak her out.

"A unicorn, huh?" Virginia said in amusement. "I'll have to remember that one."

"Henry will really like that."

"Good. I can't wait to meet the rest of your big, crazy family." (A smile flitted across Virginia's face when she heard Emily's breath hitch at these words) "You also made a very big impression on Zion, and he's hard to impress. But I can't keep talking in circles, can I? My full name is Virginia Lynn Ace Rainer."

Emily smiled at her. "I love that."

Virginia beamed with relief. "Do you mean it? My mom was a teenager when she had me, and that alone led to a lifetime of mocking about how she chose to put a word into my name. I guess I've always been touchy about it."

"It sounds cool and complete." Emily said sincerely. "Why _did_ your mother choose the word ace for your name?"

"She told me once that it's because ace can mean excellent."

Which you most _totally_ are, Emily thought. "Has she ever called you Ace?"

"No. It's always Ginny. She doesn't use Virginia until I've been pushing her buttons for awhile."

"My mother is the same way about calling me by my own full name."

"What is it?" Virginia asked curiously. "Elizabeth and Fitzhugh have never said."

"I'm Emelise Adele, but Emily is the name on my open service record. Those closest to me call me Em. Or just E."

"I'll think of something for you." Virginia decided. "It'll be something no one has done yet."

"Then you will be my Ace."

Virginia beamed all over again. "Okay. _No one_ has ever called me that before, but it sounds right when you do."

Emily just sighed happily. She was falling even more in love with Virginia by the minute. Even in her own dressed down state, Virginia was just as breathtaking to Emily as she had been in the café. She had even been the one to start the Skype call tonight. Was this a sign that they were meant to be?

And... both women already wanted to say, "I love you," but they were exercising terrific restraint.

"How is the baby doing?" Virginia asked when they had both been quiet for too long.

Emily rubbed a hand on her midsection. "Chugging along—I didn't know that he or she was there until recently."

"No? And why's that?"

"Things have been ridiculously crazy at work. It looks like I missed the whole morning sickness part altogether."

"That's lucky. When I carried Zion, I was very sick _every day _until the _fifth_ month." Virginia shuddered at the memory. "I would really love to be a mom again."

Emily felt light, but in a good way. "Really?"

Virginia nodded. "I've been thinking about starting IVF—that's how Zion came about. How far along are you?"

"Eleven weeks. Valentine's Day will make twelve."

"I will _definitely_ remember _that. _Any food you're having aversions to? Or craving?"

"No aversions," Emily said after a beat. "But all damn day, I've had a serious hankering for popcorn dipped in strawberry yogurt."

"That isn't so bad." Virginia reflected. "I went through a crazy amount of _pickles_ when I was pregnant. Now I can't even stand the_ smell."_

"And Zion?"

Virginia rolled her eyes. "They're his most favorite snack."

"I promise to shake things up." Emily said in a dutiful way.

"My boy could stand some variety." Virginia spoke approvingly. "Talk to him about things you've eaten from around the world, and he will worship you—Zion thinks my palate is run-of-the-mill. Toddlers are talkative and judgmental. What can I do?"

"Roll with it, and cross your fingers that he finds me impressive?" Emily asked hopefully.

"That's that." Virginia twirled a long lock of her purple hair tantalizingly with one finger. "I can cook very well, though. What would you love to have after a day at the office?"

Emily thought about it. "Pasta-stuffed peppers. Roasted potatoes also sound great. I also like Caesar salad."

Before Virginia could make any particular comment about how cute Emily was being with her thought process, there was a disruption. She sighed heavily.

"What is it, Ace?" Emily asked, thinking Zion had woken up.

Virginia held up a cat for her to see, supported in the palm of her hand. "This is River, my tortoiseshell cat. It's all fun and games until she climbs in to your lap to demand attention—she's a little heavy."

Emily was amused by this. River noticed her after a moment, and when she did, she meowed cutely. This was promptly followed by so hard a sneeze that she fell out of her mistress' hold. Virginia just sighed.

"She's beautiful." Emily said. "Odd, but beautiful."

"Two of her best qualities. River's been known to yowl until one of us plays with her. She even plays fetch." Virginia sighed again. "I'm sure she would bark if she was capable, but at least she's the sweetest cat I've ever had."

"And what is River doing now?"

"Going upstairs to check on Zion. She loved snuggling my belly when I was pregnant."

"Awww."

"To this day, River curls up in Zion's lap when he talks to her about his day. She even purrs. It's part of their daily routine."

"That is ridiculously adorable. Anything else I should know about the occupants at the House of Rainer?"

_"So_ many things, but," Virginia tapped her nose. "There was a point not too long ago when I had to make heavy use of a nasal feeding tube."

"What?" Emily sputtered. "When?"

"I will answer this tidbit tomorrow. Does eight o'clock work?"

Emily made a huffing sound because of the cliffhanger, but delivered the answer Virginia was looking for. "Eight works perfectly. I can't wait to see you again."

_"I _can't wait to see _you_ again." Virginia returned.

"One more thing—I fell for you at the café, too."

Virginia's heart cartwheeled yet again. "Wow, Emily! I wish I could hug you for that!"

Emily winked. "I won't say no to a hug tomorrow night."

"Plan on it."

"I will." Virginia sighed because the conversation had come to an end. "There are some things I should get to before I turn in. Boring things—you know the type. Good night."

Emily understood. "Good night, Ace. Good night."

The first thing Virginia _did_ do, after ending the Skype call however, was compile a list of all the food items Emily had named. Even the popcorn and strawberry yogurt. She also looked up recipes for non-alcoholic drinks to make at home. Those ingredients could be added to the shopping list later. The idea to serve chocolate molten lava cake had just popped into her head. Getting _that _right was more important. Drinks could wait. Everything about this dinner was going to be perfect.


	23. Chapter 23

In an unsurprising twist, Emily found JJ in the kitchen.

But it was her friend's favorite room in the house. It was very cozy. Tonight was no different.

A hot treat was baking in the oven. A home manicure kit was open on the kitchen island countertop, and alongside it was a small array of bottles containing purple nail polish in varying darker shades. Even the room lights were at a soothing level.

JJ was at the kitchen island, wearing lounge clothes, and had her nose buried in a book.

Emily sat in the chair beside hers. "What are you reading?"

JJ set the book on the counter. "This is one of Ginny's, and the title is _Traitor With No Nation. _The new book is directly after it."

"Then you're rereading this one?"

"Yes. It's one of my favorites, and I wanted to read it again because... never mind." JJ shifted uncomfortably her seat. "I'm rambling. _We_ have time to ourselves because the kids are down for the count, and Will is in the home theater."

"He showed it to me when he gave me the house tour this afternoon." Emily remarked. "I love the Old Hollywood theme. How long has Will collected movie memorabilia?"

"Most of his life—his dad got him into movies. It was their thing. Almost all of Will's things even made it through the hurricane." JJ said softly. "He also used to collect cigars and smoke them. Did you know that?"

Emily shook her head. "I didn't. What happened?"

"Will quit cold turkey on the day I told him I was pregnant with Henry. He hasn't smoked at all since."

"Wow."

JJ nodded. "Will said that he would rather be around to see all of our kids grow up, have kids of their own, _and_ introduce _all_ of them to the cinematic world."

"Wow." Emily said again, having new admiration for her friend.

"Will's poured a lot of love into that room."

"And the story behind it is amazing. You married a really fantastic man."

JJ grinned bashfully. "I definitely did."

Emily glanced at the book again. Virginia's nom de plume was greeting her in gold filagree at the bottom of the cover.

For a second, Emily wondered which material Virginia would prefer for a ring. Silver? Or gold? She would have to find a way to figure that out.

Stop! she scolded herself. You only just met her!

Emily pointed to the gold lettering, so as to keep her brain from wandering too far. "I think I've met my future wife."

"I _know_ you have, Emelise. You light up in the best possible way when you talk about her, and it doesn't hurt that she's known your parents for so long. Talk about a helpful plus."

"You know," Emily said thoughtfully. "My parents have always kept framed pictures on their desks of me, as well as their friends, and even important people they've met."

JJ easily followed the train of thought that was being had. "I suppose they each keep a picture of Ginny?"

"You would be correct, my friend. I saw one when we were there tonight, and that's how I finally recognized her."

Now JJ was impressed. "That means you've been connected with Ginny all this time without even realizing it."

"I have." Emily agreed. "I've even been connected with her son because my parents have also been keeping pictures of him. Zion realized who _I_ am when Ginny told him that I'm the daughter of 'Papa Fitzhugh' and 'Nana Elizabeth.' It really blew his mind."

"Extraordinary; it sounds like everything is falling into place." JJ said in wonder. "And Ginny's boy is called Zion?"

"Uh-huh. I bet he was born around the same time as Michael, Olivia, and Lucy."

"Our world seems to be shrinking every day now. Didn't you tell me that Zion is on your short list of baby names? That, and Eden?"

Emily nodded mutely at JJ's inquiry.

"Have you _told_ Ginny that?"

Now Emily shook her head.

JJ sighed. It was clear that Emily was hopelessly in love. The way things were going, Emily was acting as though she had been struck dumb. It was entertaining to watch because she hadn't acted like this at all about Andrew. This was a step in the right direction.

Suddenly, the oven buzzed.

"I figured that since we're going to be having some girl time, I should at least whip something up." JJ headed over to the oven. "I made those apple turnovers that I brought to the Christmas party."

Emily remembered exactly what she was talking about, but she remained quiet. All she could think of was Virginia. Their date really couldn't come fast enough.

JJ went about with retrieving the turnovers from the oven.

"Ginny told me during the Skype call that she fell for me when she saw me today, and... uh... that's when _I_ fell for_ her."_ Emily finally said. "She also informed me that she wants to be a mom again."

JJ almost dropped the turnovers.

"The universe is really looking out for you." she set the turnovers on the cooling rack and closed the oven door and turned back to the kitchen island. "Ginny told you those things?"

Emily bobbed her head. "She did."

"Are you in love with Ginny?" JJ asked gently.

"I absolutely am." Emily answered honestly. "She's even returning returning the feelings. We're so comfortable with each other already that we could have just kept talking. Maybe even all night."

"Wow, Emelise. I'm _truly_ happy for you."

Emily heard these words, but was again on the track of a single, recurrent thought. "Did I tell you that I've met my future wife?"

JJ humored her. "Yes, you did."

And over a session of eating turnovers, drinking lemonade, and painting their fingernails, Emily told JJ about her Skype call with Virginia. It was a very fun time.

Across town, Virginia was deep into researching discreet ways to figure out Emily's ring size.

* * *

All Emily wanted to do the next morning was just skip work altogether.

Today, her brain was already only focusing on her life outside of the FBI. And she liked it. Her agenda was full of things family-related.

There was packing up her apartment, as well as the impending chat with Katherine, August, and Aurora. What _were_ they all so desperate to talk about? She also had to get presents for Virginia and Zion. That would be interesting. Not to be missed was the matter of recruiting JJ to her get ready for the date.

Work was going to drag.

"Emily, I have a special delivery for you."

"Hm?"

Emily looked up from the report she'd been trying to focus on. There had been little success.

She perked up when she saw JJ. "Hey! What's that you've got?"

Her partner was carrying a potted orchid, wrapped in cellophane. Emily also spotted a note and a stuffed toy within. JJ placed the gift on the desk.

"It's from Ginny." she announced. "I bumped into the delivery man in the elevator lobby and took care of things before questions could be asked."

"You're a great friend."

Emily undid the cellophane wrapping and examined the note. She found Virginia's handwriting to be very neat.

_I hope you like orchids—you came to mind when I saw them this morning. The elephants are from Zion. He was paying attention during the India story. See you tonight. _

_Yours, _

_Ace_

The elephants were small, and made of blue denim. They were even holding on to each other by their trunks and tails. What made Emily's heart flutter was that there were _four_ of them. It was as if she was looking at a depiction of her future family.

A happy ending with Virginia, Zion, and the baby. Emily herself made the fourth.

"Are you crying?" JJ held out the tissue box from the desk to her.

Emily's eyes in truth were tearing up, but she wiped her eyes before things could get out of hand.

"I'm fine." she coughed. "I promise."

"You have a family, even if it's just in its beginnings. It okay to feel things for them." JJ said kindly. "What got you about the toys?"

Emily exhaled to steady herself. "Remind me to tell you about our family vacation when I was nine. We were in India, and elephants were involved."

JJ was perplexed. Her best friend was extremely intriguing, but as of late, she was learning new things about her all the time. India? Elephants? How many different kinds stories _did_ Emily have?

"Your life is fascinating." JJ said.

"And I'm glad of it." Emily winked. "How are things going out in the bullpen?"

"We're all still working on our case reports. How goes it in here?"

Emily shrugged. "I'm doing my best to make _any_ headway, but my mind is on what will happen after you and I clock out."

"All of that _would_ distract anyone. I'm just glad that we found a same-day moving company. Told you it would work out." JJ smiled sympathetically at Emily. "Anything else on your mind?"

"Where do you and Will shop for Michael when it comes to presents?"

This blindsided JJ so much that she finally sat at the desk, too. "I beg your pardon?"

"Hey, I'm going to Ginny's place for the _first_ time—for a _date. _It would be unbecoming if I showed up with a present for her and not Zion."

"That makes it sound like you know what to get for Ginny already." JJ said slyly.

Emily coughed again. "Focus, Jennifer. Favorite toy store for Michael?"

"We always go to Rockefeller's Toys. Do you know what Zion is into?"

"Not entirely, but Ginny said that he could stand some variety with his food range. I might have promised to shake things up for him." Emily said in rather a nervous voice. "Ginny says she can cook anything, but apparently, Zion seems to think her repertoire is 'run-of-the-mill.' She described toddlers in general as talkative and judgmental."

"Ginny is dead-on about that." JJ laughed. "But anyway, Rockefeller's has all kinds of dress-up, and I bet they have kid chef wear. That would tickle Zion. He'd probably even take his mother seriously about food. You'd be a hero to both of them."

"Excellent point." Emily approved.

"I bet if you call over to the toy store, they'd hold something for you." JJ said in afterthought. "We could get it on the way home… or to wherever."

"What would I do without you?"

"You'd be very lost when it comes to the art of how to charm toddlers." JJ got to her feet again. "I'm going back to my desk now."

"Good call." Emily said as JJ headed back out. "Thanks for all your help."

Not only did the toy store have exactly what Emily was looking for, but they even agreed to hold it all for her, just like JJ thought they might. Stopping by after work would be very easy.

This put Emily in a very good mood for her next to-do list item.

Calling Virginia.

"Hi, Ace!" Emily greeted her when she picked up.

"Emily! How's work?" Virginia asked.

"I thought I was in for a dull day, but I just got your flowers and Zion's elephants. Thank you."

"You're so welcome. Do you like them?"

"I _love_ it all. Will you tell Zion for me?"

"Oh, yes." Virginia promised. "He's at nursery school right now. I can tell you that he's going to be elated that you were talking about him."

Emily's heart flipped at the thought of making Zion's day. "I wish I could see the look on his face. What are you up to right now?"

Virginia chose her words carefully—giving things away would spoil her plans for their evening.

"I've just gotten home from a physical therapy appointment, so I'm going to have a rest." she managed. "Then it's a new round of errands before collecting Zion."

"Errands like what?" Emily tried.

Virginia laughed. "Errands like I'm not gonna tell you because it feels like you're just procrastinating now."

"That was what I was doing just now, yes."

Virginia indulged Emily for a few moments. "Fitzhugh just taught Zion the word 'lallygag' in its proper context the other day. Now my boy will tell me that was 'lallygagging' when he doesn't immediately follow through on something I asked him to do."

"You live with a sponge, not a kid."

"Get him started on jungle animals, _especially_ elephants." Virginia challenged. "I _dare_ you."

Emily smirked. "Elephants aren't the only exotic animal I've been around."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me." Virginia teased. "How's the baby?"

Emily's heart flipped a second time; Virignia really _did_ care. "Jellybean is growing away. I can't wait until I have a bump to really show off."

_This _thought made _Virginia's _heart jump. She was sure that Emily would look radiant with a big baby bump. So sure in fact, that the exact image had popped up in her dreams during the night.

I'll see you tonight." Virginia said, sad that it was already time to go.

"Tonight, Ace." Emily echoed. "See you then."

They hung up.

Emily made a mental note to also collect elephant gifts for Zion at the toy store later.

After that, she finally got back to work.


	24. Chapter 24

In the biggest whirlwind of her life, Emily finished work, oversaw the packing up of her apartment and the moving of her belongings into the LaMontagne house, and she even managed to purchase presents for Virginia and Zion. She quite enjoyed every moment of it. Her life was becoming relatively normal. Usually, she was alone after work.

Another thing she really enjoyed was having a fill house to come home to.

She had just emerged from putting her gun away in the main safe when—

"Oh, Aunt Emily!" Henry cried when he saw her. "You're home!"

Then Michael came bounding into the room as he cried, "AUNT EMMY, AUNT EMMY, AUNT EMMY!"

She scooped the little boy up before he could collide into her. Michael was just so excited to see Emily that he hung on to her like a baby koala. Emily didn't mind.

The trio quickly relocated to the living room couch. Michael even relaxed his grip on Emily, going so far as to snuggle with and keep one hand over her heart. This was the same treatment he gave JJ at all the time. Henry sat with Emily, facing her. He had a look of joy on his face. In his mind, it was just simply because he was that happy to see her.

Emily decided to have a conversation with them.

"Have you two seen all of those boxes that were moved into the spare bedroom by the utilities room?" she asked.

Michael just nodded.

Henry answered, "Yes, but mom and dad didn't say _why_ they're there."

"My things have been moved because—just for a little while—I'm going to be living here."

This update left Henry and Michael feeling speechless.

"It's one hundred percent true." Emily hugged both of them. "I also have another big surprise."

Henry's follow-up was immediate and very cheeky. "Are you going to marry Ginny?"

"Still on that train?"

"Yeah." Henry shrugged. "My mom and dad got their happily ever after. You need one, too. Ginny makes you happy, Aunt Emily. That's important."

"Henry, you are _so_ sweet." Emily hugged him. "Do you think my happy ending will be with her?"

Shrug. "It would be cool. And fun."

"I'll have you know that I'm going to see her later tonight."

_"Really?_" Henry cried in surprise.

Emily laughed. "Really. What do you think?"

"That you're the luckiest person ever."

"That's a good choice of words." Emily agreed. "You ready to hear about my other big surprise?"

Henry and Michael answered her in unison. "Yes!"

"Later in the summer, I'm having a baby."

Emily was met with two gaping expressions of surprise. She could tell that this was the last thing that either of them had been expecting.

"How many are there?" Henry asked. "My mom is having two…"

"There's only one. You and your family would know if I was having two. Yours and your siblings' new cousin will be here about a month after your mother's birthday." Emily put a hand on her middle for indication. "The little one is right here."

In an instant transport of joy, Henry hugged her and then ran from the room as he called for his parents. This was the best day ever.

Michael remained. He had already reacted very well to JJ telling him that he was going to be a big brother because the idea of being a big brother truly delighted him. And as Emily recalled, JJ had said that Michael would have kneaded her middle if he was a kitten. He appeared to be experiencing the same thought process.

Emily moved Michael's bangs out of his big blue eyes. "Do you like the idea of being a big cousin?"

"Yes." Michael decided. "Is it a boy, or a girl?"

"I don't know. How about you tell me?"

Bashful to have such an important question, Michael paused for some serious thought.

"I think it's a girl." he finally said.

"So do I." As Emily said this out loud, it hit her that she was admitting it for the first time, and that her confidant was a three-year-old. "Would you be her buddy?"

Michael nodded. "Uh-huh."

Emily hugged him. "Thank you. You're a good boy."

Michael grinned at the praised and settled back in for more cuddling.

His and Emily's quiet moment was disrupted by Will, a few moments later.

_"There_ you are!" the detective said to his youngest son.

Michael sat up. "Hi, daddy!"

"Hi, big man. Please go find your brother so he can help you put your outside things on."

"Okay." Michael slid off Emily's lap and landed on his feet. "But why?"

"We're going to the grocery store—I need you and Henry to help me pick some fun things out, for when everyone comes over tonight." Will told him. "Please run along now."

Michael was off like a shot. He was always game for a new adventure.

"What's going on?" Emily asked as Will helped her to her feet.

"Henry didn't tell you yet?" Will said in amusement.

"Tell me what?"

"He passed his placement test with flying colors, and officially starts the higher class on Monday."

"That's great." Emily told him. "I told the boys about how I'm staying here, and about the baby. Looks like Henry forgot about everything else."

"I'm not surprised." Will chuckled. "If you hurry, you can give him a hug before he and Michael start fussing at me to leave already."

* * *

"Emily? Where'd you go?"

JJ was calling for Emily from the kitchen. Will had taken the boys out, leaving the profilers the only ones home. But they still had to get ready for the rest of the family's arrival. No time to waste.

"Here I am." Emily joined her from the living room. "What's in that box? Tickets and luggage for us to go to Fiji?"

"I _wish._" JJ pointed to the box. "One benefit of being married to a very organized person is that we always have things in bulk, espcially when it comes to party decor. Will got this out of storage before the and the boys left."

"Quite a benefit. Will told me that Henry aced his test and starts the higher class on Monday. Has tonight's gathering turned into a party?"

"It has." JJ confirmed. "Katherine, August, and Aurora all seem to be nervous about the things they have to share. We decided to create a cheerful environment to ease them into it."

JJ then quickly responded to an incoming text on her phone, and when she set the device back down, it was clear that she was now giddy about something.

"What just happened?" Emily wanted to know.

"I contacted my mom and Hannah earlier, to see if they could make it here tonight. They said yes. I just forgot to tell you because we were at work. Will already knows."

"It's been a hell of a day, so I don't blame you for it slipping your mind."

"Good. My mothers—God, that's _weird_ to say—are on the way here now. That text I just got was from Hannah telling me so."

"This is going to be a great night. So your mother must be getting a late train out to South Carolina, and Hannah will be catching one back to Baltimore." Emily sounded like she was thinking out loud. "I take it that Hannah didn't go back home after the get-together at my parents' place?"

"That's right. My dad left for Atlantic City this morning," JJ sneered momentarily at this. "But Hannah didn't want to be alone and she still isn't really talking to him, so she got a room at the hotel where the Spellingses are. They spent part of the day together."

"How nice. What about the rest of time?" Emily asked curiously.

"Hannah was hanging out with my mom. They're actually making an effort to be friends with each other."

Emily was very pleased to hear this. "That makes me so happy. How are things now?"

JJ winked. "They're close enough that they've agreed to split the cost of a car that will take them to the train station later."

"Wow."

"There was a time when I didn't think that any parts of my family would ever even come together. Now here we are, peacefully coexisting. I've never been happier."

* * *

The family's impromptu gathering was in full swing when JJ realized that Katherine was more squirrelly than ever. August and Aurora were both behind her in these feelings. It was time to start talking. No other time would be better.

Sandy and Hannah moved with Henry, Michael, Olivia, and Lucy to the play room to keep them contained. The others were very appreciative of this gesture.

JJ spoke to Katherine first. "What's on your mind?"

Katherine opened her mouth, but no words came out. She wasn't normally this nervous about anything.

August quickly came to his twin's rescue. _"We _have an announcement, actually."

"There's technically two." amended Aurora. "He's just lumping them together."

"We're all ears, and we're all family." Emily encouraged them. "Can you just give me a quick rundown of what you and August do at the zoo?"

"We work the giraffe enclosure at the Baltimore Zoo, and we met in the first place we because were hired at the same time."

"Got it."

August spoke next. "We were just offered to lead the giraffe enclosure at the National Zoo here. _This_ opportunity comes with higher pay and better benefits."

"Did you take it?" Emily asked.

"We did. That's announcement number one taken care of." August squirmed again. "The second announcement is that like my dear twin, we've also been getting ready to move house. We just wanted to surprise everyone."

"Achievement unlocked." said Will. "Where's your new place?"

August's answer was delivered with a very straight face. "Number Nineteen, on Broadchurch Close."

There was a beat of silence as everyone processed this.

JJ broke the silence first, surprised. "But that's right next door!"

"Yes, it is. We move in on Monday."

JJ said nothing because she was quite surprised. She wasn't mad that they hadn't said anything. Just... surprised.

Will spoke up when he say that JJ was taking some time to digest the latest news. "Give a call if you need help."

August saluted. "Copy that."

Aurora stepped back in. "D.C. is where we're going to put down our homestead roots. We'd been discussing it for quite some time, and then universe gave us a blatant sign through our job. We felt it would be a poor choice to ignore it."

"I'm glad you took the sign." JJ replied. "This means that we can all get to know each other more, _and_ the kids can grow up together."

"Those were two of our driving thoughts."

JJ gave a nod of approval and turned back to her sister. "Come on, Kit. Just talk."

"I've also been employed by the Boston Zoo, but they transferred me to the zoo here, too. It's just as well—Philemon is buried here." Katherine told the others. "I even have a house lined up to move in to, but I couldn't go anywhere because I had a project to finish first. That's the short version."

"I'm glad you were able to take your time." Emily told her.

"So am I, because I'm already in fast forward about something else."

JJ moved from across the room to where Katherine was. "It's okay. We're all on your side."

This emboldened Katherine. "I've found out that Olivia is going to be a big sister. She just doesn't know yet."

JJ and Will had already known this because she had confirmed it for them in Dunn Loring, but it was news to August, Aurora, and Emily. The Jareaus took the most time to digest the news. This was understandable because they knew Katherine the best. Meanwhile, Emily was already happy for her friend. Katherine's kids meant two more for Emily to dote on. They were also two more people in the weird, eclectic family she thought she'd never had.

"I'm really happy for you." Emily told Katherine. "How are you feeling?"

Katherine gave a shrug. "I don't know because I found out about the baby after Philemon's funeral. If it's a boy, I'll name him after his daddy."

"That's a great way to honor him.

"It is." Katherine laughed softly as she thought of what she had to say next. "Have I told any of you where the new place is?"

"No." the rest of her company replied.

"I can't make this up—but it's Number Fifteen."

This pronouncement was greeted by a loud silence. How small was their world?

Yet again, everyone looked to the LaMontagne matriarch to see what she had to say.

JJ just hugged her sister. "Kit, this is really great! When do you move in?"

Curiously, Katherine blushed. "I've hit a snag there. My house in Baltimore is packed up, and we were supposed to start moving this weekend. I was blindsided by the current occupants telling me that they needed more time. This has left Olivia and I high and dry until next week."

Will cringed. "And when are they scheduled to move now?"

"Next Friday."

This was Thursday.

Will turned to JJ. Both of them had anticipated something like these because it seemed as if the whole family was going through a season of change. They, the LaMontagnes, were the anchors. It was time to help someone else now.

They had a very quick but silent conversation using only their eyes.

JJ spoke first, directly to Katherine. "You can stay with us for as long as you need."

Katherine breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, my God—thank you."

"We can talk about the finer details later." Will told her. "Just make yourself at home."

"I definitely will. Thanks again."

JJ looked over at Emily. "And what do you think about all of this now? Since you're also staying here?"

Emily was actually a little startled to be asked her opinion. While she had been paying attention to the conversation, her brain was mostly of the realm of trying to figure out what to wear for her date with Virginia. It was almost time to get ready.

But she still answered JJ. "I'm really excited, and I love the idea of a full house. It's going to be fun."

As if Emily's thoughts were the final word on the matter, the atmosphere of the whole room relaxed. Everyone was happy. In that moment, they all knew that they were family.

Talk turned to other things, and Emily took this as her cue to head towards the front stairs. JJ followed her.

"What do you think about this whole night?" she asked.

"I'm happy that everyone is working their way towards a healthy level of stability. Do you and Will normally do last-minute gatherings?"

"We don't, but we told each other that we're going to do things that we're going to start setting better examples for the kids, especially the twins. Part of that includes reaching out to other people."

"Those are good plans." Emily said.

JJ smiled at her. "You and your little one have officially joined the family during the chapter that's new for all of us. I'm glad you get to be part of it."

"Me, too." Emily shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I know the adults are in the other room, but…"

"Are you wondering if I'm still going to help you get ready for your date with Virginia?" guessed JJ.

"Yes."

"I'm your parter to the end, Emelise—ride or die." JJ smiled more. "Let's go get you ready."


	25. Chapter 25

**I know that last chapter was a flop. It wasn't my favorite, either. A filler was required. This will be an improvement :)**

* * *

Amongst the contents of Emily's easily-accessed luggage were several date-type outfits. Everything else was in moving boxes and the rest of her luggage set. Those would be dealt with eventually, but just not tonight.

No. Tonight was about Virginia.

* * *

After showering and changing into an 'in-between outfit,' Emily tried on a few outfits for JJ to critique. It didn't take her long to axe two.

"Okay, Jennifer," Emily said in a tone of playful exasperation as she checked herself out in the bathroom. "This is the last outfit I'm trying on. I still have to do my hair."

"Just come on, already." JJ chuckled. _"I_ will do your hair if you're so worried… wow…"

JJ was quite impressed by Emily's pick this time. In remembering that Virginia's hair was dark purple, Emily was wearing a blouse of the color in question, and a long black skirt with a white arrow pattern around the hem. The whole ensemble was very pretty. And the beginnings of a very nice date night outfit.

"I guess you like it, huh?" Emily was bashful.

"Yes. I remember when you got that blouse because I was there, but I'm drawing a blank on the skirt. Have I seen it before?"

"Nope." Emily did a small twirl, and the skirt flared slightly. "My dad brought it back for me from a recent trip that involved being laid over in the Dublin airport. He was there for eighteen hours."

"Does the Prentiss clan _ever_ do anything small? Ever?"

With a very straight face, Emily said, "Not since the day I was born."

JJ rolled her eyes. "Why doesn't that surprise me? And you're from Kiev, right?"

"Yep. I was born at the main hospital there, since this was during the Ukraine years."

"That's perfectly normal."

"But I was born during the blizzard of the century."

"Your birthday is in the _autumn!"_

Emily shrugged. "It's Eastern Europe, and apparently, it was unseasonably cold that year."

"So noted." JJ motioned towards the arrows on the skirt hem. "Does Ginny travel?"

"That's an understatement. Can you keep a secret?"

"I held on to your full name for _thirteen years _before anyone else knew it, and that's just for starters. Cough it up."

"Ginny _is_ a world traveler, but is retried from the USMC and the police force. She was a detective down south in another life."

JJ was at a loss for words because she was just so astonished.

"Ginny also has a tattoo of a compass. On her palm."

"Really?" JJ sputtered.

Emily nodded. "Yes. The northern point of the compass is the longest, and when we sat together in the café, her palm was pointing to me."

"Incredible. Henry's right—you _did_ meet a unicorn." JJ stood and headed out of the room. "Hang on a second."

Before JJ had time to think, JJ was showing back and showing her a necklace. Upon a long thin silver chain was a compass pendant. What Emily found intriguing was that the copass' northernmost point was the longest. Just like the one tattooed on Virginia's palm.

"Where did this come from?" Emily asked JJ. "It's really beautiful."

"I bought it when I moved to D.C. because I was in a chapter of my life where I was finding myself." JJ fixed it around Emily's neck for her. "It's my good luck charm."

"How's that?"

"I was wearing it the day I met you." JJ smiled at her. "You can borrow it for good luck tonight."

Emily gave her a hug. "Thank you. That means a lot."

JJ motioned for Emily to sit with her back turned to her. "I'm going to do your hair for you. Let's just talk."

"Okay." Emily relaxed as JJ began to brush her hair. "By the way, Ginny is an absolute stunner, but how are you still on the unicorn train like Henry is?"

"Have you _met_ my firstborn? Henry inherited Will's neat-freak ways, but _my_ intuition."

"Fair point." Emily conceded. "Everything lately has happened for a reason, but all of it has led me to Ginny. I can assure you and Henry both that Ginny really is very much an actual unicorn."

JJ continued to brush Emily's long hair. "Copy that."

"Did Rosaline teach you how to do hair?" Emily wanted to know.

"Yes, and thank goodness my bag of tricks has expanded since then. I'm going to give you something befitting of a first date." JJ positioned Emily to sit straighter. "Please keep still."

Emily did her best to obey.

"Would Rosaline have liked me?" she asked at length.

JJ didn't have to think twice about this. "Yes. Roz would have really liked you, and I'm sure you two would have been friends."

This made Emily feel great. "Can you tell me what she was like?"

"I worshipped her because she was cool, warm, and kind. Roz even treated me like her kid because was worried that our parents forgot about me when they would fight." JJ told her. "My sister even got me interested in world travel."

"How many places have you been to, again? I forget the exact number." Emily said.

"There was a family trip to Ireland before the divorce, and then during my sophomore year of high school, I had the good fortune of being an exchange student in the United Kingdom." JJ recollected. "We've also had cases in Mexico twice now, and Jamaica in 2006. I didn't make it that time. We _did_ go to Barbados for a case once, though..."

"When was _that?"_ Emily said in surprise.

"2015. It was also when we met Matt."

"I see. Jamaica doesn't count, but Ireland, England, Mexico, and Barbados make four. Anything else?"

"Will and I did Holland for our honeymoon. We've also taken Henry to Bermuda. Our last family was to Canada, when Michael was two." JJ said in further thought. "I've been to seven other countries. Roz would be proud."

"I bet she would." Emily agreed. "Any more travel plans?"

"We actually just decided that we want to take the kids to Portofino, Italy when the twins are older and mobile. You been?"

"Yes—it's one of my most favorite places in the world!"

"Then tell me what you know."

Emily launched into a story about her favorite seaside town.

JJ styled Emily's hair into a crown of a fishtail braid, with a length of it cascading down her back in curled spiral ringlets. A decorative pearl hair pin had even been tucked in just behind Emily's left ear, to give a little color to her dark locks. Emily felt very beautiful. She would have to get her friend to help her for her next date.

"If everything works with Ginny, in time of course," Emily said as JJ watched her do her makeup. "I'll bring her around. I have a really good feeling about her."

"Great." JJ chirped. "I think all of us would love to meet the person who makes you so happy."

"Thanks, Jayje—your support means the world to me. What do you think?"

Emily had finished her makeup and was waiting for approval.

"It's perfect." JJ said. "Ginny's going to love it."

When they went back downstairs, the rest of the family was in the living room. A hush fell over all of them when they saw Emily. They had known that she wasn't in the room, but most of them hadn't known what she was up to.

"You look fabulous." Hannah told her with genuine admiration. "Are you going on a date?"

Emily's head bobbed up and down. "I am."

Nearby, Sandy gave a soft, "Oh!" of understanding.

"What do you know?" Hannah asked her.

"Who Emily's date is with." Sandy said smugly.

"Who?"

Emily answered, "The author, Ginny Lynn."

_"What?" _Hannah, August, and Aurora cried in unison.

"It's the truth. I'm about to leave for her place right now." Emily told them. "You all are fans, too?"

"And then some." Hannah informed her. "How did you meet the elusive unicorn that is the legendary Ginny Lynn?"

"Quite literally by chance, and JJ can tell that story." Emily winked. "I have to go."

With lots of wishes of good luck, Emily left the house in high spirits. It was going to be a great night.

* * *

The Rainers did live in a clock. Sort of.

Their building was a quaint brick structure, several stories high. The very top housed a clocktower that looked out over the city. Like a beacon.

As Emily gazed up at the illuminated clock face, it struck eight o'clock.

So she rang the buzzer at the main door.

From her place, Virginia called through an intercom, "Emily? I'll be right down!"

She buzzed her date in and left for the lobby.

Emily quickly entered Virginia's building before the door shut again. The lobby was very swanky, reminding her of high-end residences she'd seen in places like New York City. What kind of people lived here?

"Emily!"

She turned to see Virginia emerging from an elevator across the room. Emily also felt herself going weak-kneed again just at the sight of her. Virginia was in another fifties-type outfit; the blouse and skirt were a light purple color, but the hem was decorated with a fun pattern of old postage envelopes. Each was labeled with a different international destination. Virginia's hair was even done up in a way that was both chic and retro. Just how many talents did this woman have? Her makeup was also very on-point. Virginia was drop-dead gorgeous. Everything about her tonight was very befitting of a first date.

Emily also noticed that instead of her crutch, Virginia now had a reversed wheeled walker as a mobility aid. It was bright purple and made of aluminum. There was even a seat. Not for the first time, Emily wondered how Virginia had been hurt.

But she dashed the thought at once when her date drew level with her.

"I'm so happy to finally be with you, Ace." Emily set her things down and embraced the other woman in a deep hug. "You look really beautiful."

Virginia had also been unsure about kissing, so she returned the hug warmly before leaning back on her walker. _"I'm_ so happy to see _you." _

Emily grinned and then furrowed her brow at something. "Where's your mini-me?"

"My mom called about an hour ago and offered to keep Zion overnight. She hasn't seen him in awhile." Virginia explained. "They're best friends."

"Aww."

"Are you going to ask about the purple monstrosity I'm lugging behind me?" Virginia gave her walker a small rattle of indication.

Emily laughed softly. "I have _so_ many questions, but my first thought was 'maybe we could name it if it doesn't have a name.' Is that ridiculous?"

"No." Virginia laughed, too, feeling a weight of worry lift off her shoulders. "And the walker actually doesn't have a name. I've had it since before Zion was a twinkle in my eye."

"But still no name?"

Virginia shook her head. "Uh-uh. We'll have to come up with one."

"I like the sound of that." Emily picked her bags up again. "I brought some surprises with me."

_"I _like the sound of_ that."_ Virginia turned herself and her walker about face. "I want to show you something."

Emily followed Virginia to a small hatch in the wall by the elevator. Her date opened it to revel a fully-functioning dumbwaiter, of all things.

"I made sure that the building owner had this fixed properly when I moved in." Virginia said casually. "It's been around forever."

"But you a _dumbwaiter."_ Emily said in surprise. "Do you guys _really_ live in the clocktower?"

"Not in the clock itself, but the residence attached to it, yes. A private dumbwaiter is a perk of living on the last floor." Virginia pointed to a platform in the shaft. "Put your things in there. It'll meet us upstairs."

Emily followed though, and Virginia closed the hatch before pressing a button that would send it away.

The ride to the top floor was naught but a minute. Emily, however, felt that is was much longer. So why was she nervous? Virginia was right beside her.

"Here we are, my dear." Virginia said as they disembarked. "Our door is just over here."

It wasn't far from the lift, and in addition to an umbrella stand, Emily saw a small rug where several pairs of shoes and boots were lined up.

"We always leave our shoes out here when it's been cold or slick." Virginia removed her shoes and added them to the line. "I haven't been outside in a few hours, but the last time I looked out of a window, I swear I saw falling snow."

Emily removed her shoes and set them beside Virginia's. "You _did_ see snow. Imagine if we got stuck here during a blizzard."

"Hell of a thing to say on a first date," Virginia said amusedly. "But it'd be manageable because this building has an external generator that kicks in when the power goes out. We would just have to be prepared to entertain Zion for a long time."

"He seems like an extremely curious person—entertaining him is part of the whole kit and caboodle, I'd imagine."

Virginia rolled her eyes theatrically. "Zy has entered a phase where he asks me 'why?' after every other thing I say now."

"Yikes. I will make sure to fill myself with enough cool tidbits about everything under the sun so that Zion won't have enough time to ask the dreaded question of either of us."

"My hero." Virginia opened her front door and pushed it open. "Come on in."

Emily headed into Virginia's place, although she felt that 'loft' was the proper word to describe the type of abode that it was. She loved the set-up already. It was an industrial theme with touches of the past, future, and present all rolled into on. There were also a variety of things about that showcased Virginia's love of travel... including a corner of the living room that housed a giant globe and a rather large map of the world with many pushpins in the surface. There was even a grand piano in the opposite corner. Everywhere else, books of all kinds and cozy sitting places could be seen. That was just part of the living room.

"This is my place." Virginia closed the door and put Emily's coat away for her. "Do you like it?"

Emily quickly brushed out last-minute wrinkles in her clothes while Virginia's back was turned. "It's really cool."

"Oh, wow." Virginia breathed when she took in what Emily was wearing. "You're beautiful."

"Do you really think so? I'm not trying too hard?"

Virginia shook her head. "Uh-uh, because you got everything just right."

"Then so did you. I love the fifties theme." Emily gestured to Virginia's clothes. "You were dressed like this at the bookstore. Is it your favorite?"

"My permanent bum leg makes wearing things like jeans or slacks pretty hard now." Virginia shuffled her feet. "I stick to dresses and skirts because they're easiest."

"So you wear them all the time?" Emily guessed.

"Yep. My sister brought this dress back for me last month from a trip to California."

"I—" Emily's worlds were cut off by a loud meowing sound and something soft brushing at her ankles.

River the cat had appeared, sitting directly in their path. The animal was very beautiful. Her blue eyes were even so piercing that Emily like River was gazing into her very soul.

She snapped out of it when River slinked past her and jumped onto the seat of Virginia's walker.

"Emily," Virginia plucked her cat up and held her out. "This is my sweet River. I've had her since she was a little bitty kitten, and I was in hard rehab for my injury. Lord knows where I would be without her."

The cat meowed again.

"She's really beautiful." Emily remarked. "Wow."

"Hear that?" Virginia cooed to her pet. "Emily knows a beautiful girl when she sees one, too."

River meowed a third time.

"Is it alright if I hold her?" Emily asked Virginia.

"Of course. Here you go."

Virginia eased her pet into Emily's arms. Rather than bolt like most cats, River just moved closer to her new friend. She even began to purr.

All at once, the biggest weight yet had lifted off Emily's shoulders. Her eyes even teared up a little as she felt all kinds of emotion swirl through her body. River's presence had triggered something. Emily also suspected that her continual yo-yoing emotions had something to do with it. Holding a cat was very calming.

"I'm sorry!" Emily said quickly. "I'm sorry I'm crying—it's just that so much has happened lately like you wouldn't believe…"

"I want to hear all about it." Virginia wiped Emily's tears for her. "Nothing in the story of how our paths have crossed or how we know of each other is exactly conventional, so crying on a first date is quite alright. You have nothing to apologize for."

Virginia then rubbed River behind her ears. The cat's purrs grew even louder.

"And this pretty girl is calming, isn't she?"

"She really is." Emily agreed.

"My cat has been with me through my best and worst moments. You're safe here." Virginia continued to rub River. "The only melts like this for Zion. She loves me, but my 'mini-me' is her favorite."

River's purrs were very audible now. She also didn't seem to have a care in the world. Emily's worries ebbed away even more.

"That's amazing." Emily marveled.

Just like you are, Virginia thought. "She's a miracle worker."

Emily searched her surroundings again. "Where's the receiving hatch for the dumbwaiter?"

"In the kitchen. I'll get your things." Virginia decided. "Make yourself at home—the couch is very comfortable."

"Then I'll go wait for you."

Emily went across the front room to the couch and settled in to wait. She even began to play with River. But she was beginning to feel happy. What a warm feeling. She wasn't sure what else to ask for, just then.

Emily was happy that Virginia was taking her for who she was. Happy that Virginia had alread felt comfortable enough to be herself. Happy that Virginia knew she didn't think any less of her for being any different. Happy that Virginia hadn't rejected her being pregnant. Happy to play with a purring cat. Happy that her very inability to do anything small had led her straight to the person whose company she was loving already. Happy that _she_ could be herself.

Emelise Adele Prentiss was _genuinely happy._

This was going to be a night to remember.


	26. Chapter 26

Virginia sat with Emily on the couch after fetching her things from the dumbwaiter. The walker was even parked nearby, momentarily forgotten. River was curled up against her, still purring. She found her mistress' guest delightful. And very comfortable. Within reach was an attractive coffee table. It was here that Emily had arranged her bags for presentation. She still hadn't said what was in them.

And Virginia was dying to know.

Emily broke through her thoughts. "Have you been wondering about the bags I brought?"

"Yes. I _have _been wondering."

"Here." Emily produced a brightly-colored box and set it on the table. "That's for Zion. I _did_ promise my little bird I'd bring him something."

Virginia was very touched that Emily had followed through on her promise. "What's in the box?"

"I didn't forget what you said about Zion thinking that your cooking is 'run-of-the-mill,' so I got him a chef coat, hat, and pants. It also came with a cookbook. Maybe he'll start taking you seriously about food now."

"Those are incredibly thoughtful gifts, and he will _definitely _give me a good chance now."

"The cooking gear also happens to be decorated with elephants. What do you think?"

"I think that Zy is going to love you." Virginia told her.

Emily presented her with a box wrapped in green foil. "That makes this one yours, Ace."

"And this is yours." Virginia was holding out a gift bag she'd been keeping on the end table closest to her.

Emily accepted her gift graciously, although she felt very surprised. Her date had had the same idea about first date presents. Could they be any more alike?

"Wow. This is really thoughtful."

They opened their gifts together. Emily was pleasantly surprised to find a cozy purple muslin scarf bedecked with a pattern of silver elephants. The mighty creatures were fast becoming 'their thing.' She'd never had this with anyone before.

"Great minds think alike, I see." Virginia was investigating her own gift. "I _love_ this."

They actually _could_ be more alike. Virginia had also received a scarf. This one was made from fine cotton, and set against a purple background was a print of golden aces. Emily hadn't had the willpower to pass it up because it had been too perfect a chance.

"I love my scarf, and I was actually just thinking that I could do with a new one. Do you like the aces on yours? I know that you're about preserving your anonymity, but your name is just so cool... and you are my Ace."

Emily was totally rambling, but Virginia found it very endearing. She even moved closer to her.

"It's perfect. It's also just subtle enough that only those closest to me would make the connection." Virginia said. "And I will _always _be your Ace."

Emily gave a nod of acknowledgement, but felly silent. Virginia was holding her gaze just then and she was truly captivating. Her eyes were also a _deep_ green. How hadn't she noticed before? The depth of her eyes were endless, like Virginia had truly seen some horrors and wonders of the world. What were they?

Virginia was having a similar thought process about Emily's eyes. She also wanted to jump her bones. Wondering about Emily's ring size was also part of her train of thought. She moved closer. Would she kiss her? Maybe.

But—

_BZZT!_

Virginia stood and positioned herself in her walking frame again. "The food is ready now."

Emily also stood. "Where's the dining room?"

"This way, my dear."

Virginia showed Emily to an area astride a huge picture window that looked out on to the street below. Underneath a wrought-iron chandelier sat a large splendid oaken dining dining table. It had been set for two people, but something about the size of the table compared to the space of the room it was in didn't add up.

"There are two extending leaves missing from the table." Virginia explained, as if reading her mind. "They go in when the rest of my family is here."

"How many people are we talking?" pressed Emily.

"Many. Everyone is going to love you when I introduce you to them."

Virginia said this with such ease that it gave Emily a small turn—she _really_ liked her if she already wanted to introduce her to her family. She felt the same way about wanting to introduce her to her own extended clan. It all made her heart skip a beat now that it had all been said aloud. Where had this gem of a woman been all these years?

"Emily, you can sit in either spot. It doesn't matter."

She took the chair closest to the window. "Need any help?"

Virginia set her walking frame by the other chair. "No, but thank you. Just enjoy yourself."

Emily watched her set out a series of covered dishes, full water glasses, and some kind of red drink in a pair of highball glass tumblers. All of the material seemed like the kind of thing one would pull out for special occasions. Emily had a feeling that with a toddler, Virginia have much cause to eat off things that were breakable. She was really going all out.

The impressed look on Emily's face told her that she'd gone in the right direction. A lot of thought had been put into the night.

Emily tasted the red drink and found herself to be further impressed. "Is this a raspberry _mojito,_ but with no alcohol?"

"Yes." Virginia confirmed. "All pregnant mamas need to have _some_ fun."

"I like the way that you think." Emily lifted the glass in a toast. "The drink is very good."

"Excellent. Check this out."

Virginia began pulling the lids off each dish. In turn, Emily discovered that she had made a large Caesar salad, a full bowl of roasted potatoes, and even whole dish full of pasta-stuffed peppers. Everything was picture-perfect and smelled very delicious. The whole spread also just happened to be exactly what Emily had said she would love to have after a day at the office.

"You remembered!" she cried in surprise.

"I did." Virginia made Emily a full plate and handed it to her. "Going to the grocery store was part of those 'other errands' that I couldn't tell you about."

Emily took plate. "Because you didn't want to ruin everything you'd been working on."

"Bingo." Virginia served herself and took the other chair. "Did things get any more exciting at work?"

Emily sighed. "Uh-uh. You were the most exciting thing at the office."

"And I wasn't even there." Virginia laughed. "You said that your team is having a housekeeping week, right?"

"That's right. We were hit with a storm of things recently, and then my partner has just returned from being knocked out of commission."

Virginia gave a sympathetic wince. "Yikes. What happened?"

"The short version is that both of her little boys got her sick."

"That's a total bummer." Virginia said with more sympathy. "Zy has done that to me more than once. All is well now, I trust?"

"In more ways than one—our director us keeping us local for the next two weeks, thanks to how crazy-busy things have been."

"I'm guessing it means they want you all to catch your breath, but also catch up on paperwork?"

"That's a gold star for Ace." Emily praised.

She laughed and tapped the side of her head. "Former law enforcement, remember?"

"Yes." Emily laughed nervously. "We're also getting out early."

"That must be _so _nice—I do not miss those kinds of hours. All of this does mean that we have more opportunities to do things together."

Emily's heart flipped at that, and not just Virginia's cooking was amazing. "Would some of those things be able to include Zion?"

"You bet."

"Tell me about what he likes do."

Virginia thought about it. "Zy loves books, and he loves to watch people down on the street. He also _really_ loves to learn. Experimenting in the kitchen and making new 'creations' for me in his play class downtown are also high on his list of top ten favorite activities to do."

"I will remember all of that. It also sounds like he's on the go all the time."

"When he is in his element, it's like hanging out with an Energizer Bunny who sees me as his best friend in the whole world."

"Wow."

Virginia nodded sagely. "That's just life with kids."

Emily thought quickly. "Then how do you think he would feel about a trip to the U.S. Botanical Garden?"

This was a world-famous conservatory not far from where they were at the moment.

Virginia lit up. "He would have a ball. He's never been. When do you want to go?"

"Saturday?" Emily said hopefully. "Do you two have plans for then?"

"We don't. What do you want to do?"

"Hang out at the garden for a few hours, and go to lunch after?"

"Perfect." Virginia touched her hand to the tabletop, as if sealing the deal. "That sounds like the perfect way to spend a Saturday."

"Fantastic. It's a date."

Both pleased that they already knew when they were going to see each other next, Emily and Virginia just tucked into their food. But they were happy.

Virginia really could cook anything. By the end of the meal, Emily was feeling warm and at peace. For dessert, Virginia had even made them two perfect strawberries and cream mug cakes. Bliss. She wanted to stay in this moment forever.

"All of that was very tasty. Thank you." Emily said as put down her spoon after she finished her last bite of cake. "I loved all of it."

"That makes me very glad." Virginia rose to her feet and began collecting their dishes. "Don't you lift a finger. Tonight, you are a guest."

So Emily watched Virginia's backside. (The writer was definitely aware of this) Emily didn't even see a woman with a limp. Just a woman who was incredibly beautiful, and already the keeper of her heart. Little did she know that Virginia already thinking the same of her.

"Will you go get Zion's present?" Virginia asked when she'd finished taking care of everything. "I want to give you a house tour now. You can put the box in his room."

Emily was quick to follow through.

It even looked like she was pulling herself along as they ascended the stairs. "You know that I can walk because you're seeing me now, but there are some things that I just can't do as well as I used to before I got hurt."

"Does cold weather make things worse?"

"Yes, but I have a lot of support, and I'm lucky that Zy is patient. He's a good boy."

Emily nodded. "He is, and you'll never get any judgement from me. I'll give you support in whatever fashion you need or want. That's a promise."

Virginia wanted to kiss Emily right then and there on the stairs. People usually just pitied her when they looked at her. Emily just _saw_ her. That was everything.

"Thank you, Emelise." she finally said. "That's incredibly sweet."

Emily could only stroke Virginia's hand with her thumb because she was just so fit to burst with emotion. Her skin was also very soft. Virginia also seemed to like being touched because her breath hitched slightly. She also understood what Emily was trying to convey.

Where have you been my entire life? she thought. I'm already in love with you.

Virginia's crutches were leaning against the wall when they reached the top landing. They would make navigation easier.

Emily looked around. The second level of the Rainer house was composed of a main hallway with numerous rooms on each side.

"This whole building used to be office buildings, way back when." Virginia told Emily. "My place was the executive floor."

"When was this building made into residences?" Emily wanted to know.

"According to old records, it was the spring of 1999. I hadn't come to D.C. yet."

"Where were you before that?"

This was answered this inquiry with one of her own. "Where were _you?"_

"That was during my London years." Emily pointed to the nearest door, which stood closed. "What's over there?"

"Just the laundry room." Virginia shrugged. "There's nothing special inside. Should that blizzard ever come, we'll have to make sure you already have some of your things here. Winters up here are brutal."

"You're telling me—and I was born during a storm in Kiev. They hadn't seen anything like it in a century."

Virginia sputtered, "Say again?"

"You heard me. I'll tell you later, and I will also remember what you said about keeping clothes here." Emily looked at the door again. "Is the room shut away to keep River out?"

"Yes, actually. My cat acts like a kitten instead of the five year old that she is."

"Does she get into trouble?"

"Oh, the stories I could tell." Virginia pointed to the door beside the laundry. "Mine and Zion's reading room is through there. He's convinced it's a library, so he calls it that. I think you might like it."

Emily could see why Zion thought of the place as his own private library. The half of the room that catered to Virginia was full of plants, shelved books, and cozy looking armchairs. A window by one shelf looked out across the rooftops outside.

Zion's half of the room was a tad busier. He had books and kid-sized furniture, but there were other fun things around. Posters of animals and landmarks. A world map. A numbers and alphabet poster. There was even what looked like an extended family portrait. Everything was at Zion's height, all for him to admire or study. There was even a little desk with books piled on it near the far wall.

"I love all of this." Emily pointed to the desk. "Does little bird like to look at books while you are?"

Virginia nodded. "Yep. Other than the kitchen, this is his most favorite room in the house."

"Is he working on learning how to read? I think I saw informational books about the Middle East. That isn't material that wouldn't normally appeal to a three-year-old."

"Zy still peruses books that kids his age do, but he _never_ does anything small. That's because of a family trait that he's gotten the full brunt of. I'm not even sure if that's good or bad."

"What's his area of interest?" Emily asked. "Maybe I can help."

"Of all the places in the world, he wants to learn about _Saudi Arabia."_

"I lived there before. Morocco, too."

"Zy saw _Aladdin_ when he was hanging out with my sisters a little while back." Virginia said. "I told him he has to learn the whole alphabet and things like that so he can further his interest. He took me very seriously. Sometimes I catch him reciting the alphabet out of order."

Emily's grin grew. "I love that kid even more. And did you know that I'm a hyperpolyglot?"

Virginia knew that complicated word to mean one that was fluent in at least six languages or more. "Fitzhugh and Elizabeth told me that you're very smart, but they never said anything about _language. _How many do you speak?"

"Half a dozen."

"Amazing. Just what number is Arabic?"

"Third. English isn't even my first."

Virginia was hanging on to everything. "Will you tell me _is_ at the top of your list?"

"Not yet," Emily said playfully. "But I would love to help Zion with reading, and I could teach him about the country he's been studying. It was one of my most favorite places that I've ever lived."

Virginia had to once again fight back the impulse to kiss Emily. She _really_ wanted to, but there were still things they wanted to address before the date was over. Kissing would just derail everything.

She went with giving Emily a look full of love. "Zy will be enamored by the idea. He might actually talk himself hoarse."

"That will be another thing to help him through." Emily motioned to the hallway. "Will you show me the rest of the floor?"

Emily was treated to two more bedrooms, a secondary bathroom, a linen closet, and a playroom before they stopped in front of yet another door."

Virginia pointed. "Our little bird sleeps in here."

Emily pushed this door open to show the bedroom to reveal the bedroom of a little boy who loved animals. Even his actual bed was shaped like an elephant. The whole theme of it all was very adorable. For a second, Emily wondered what kind of nursery theme would be coming down the road for the baby. She'd have to ask Virginia for ideas at some point.

Remembering her gift, Emily crossed the room and set it on Zion's bed, right beside the felt letter Z. There was no way he would miss it when he returned the following morning.

"Emily?"

Virginia was watching her from the doorway, a tender look on her face this time. She had her own spot of brief imagining of what it would be like to look in to this room sometime soon to see Emily playing with Zion. Or telling him stories about her world travels.

"Yes?" Emily asked her as they went back out.

"You look beautiful." Virginia offered.

"Very smooth, Ace but that wasn't what you were going to say, was it?"

"No."

"Then what was it?"

Virginia coughed and pointed to a door located at the end of the corridor. "The clocktower is through there, but it's more fun to see during the day. I'll show you next time."

"Alright." Emily said. "By my count now, I've seen all rooms… except for where _you_ sleep."

"My bedroom is actually attached to my office." Virginia put her crutches aside, and they worked their way down the stairs. "It really embraces my love of travel."

"If the rest of your place is any indication, then I'm sure it'll be just as beautiful. I also want show you what was in the other bag that I brought."

"Care to share, anyway?" Virginia asked inquisitively.

"Three words—old photo albums."

"That's a fun thing for a first date. I guess this means I have to tell you about about my family, and how a girl from nowhere-Mississippi made it all the way up to the nation's capital."

Emily arched an eyebrow. "Mississippi, huh? That answers _that_ question…"

"You're also not the only multilingual one here. I have the service to thank for that skillset."

"What's on your list?"

"Some things that are probably not on yours." Virginia teased. "Right now, I think you'd much rather hear about when Zy tried to blame a flour spill on the cat, even though there were definitely little boy footprints in the mess."

Emily couldn't believe what she was hearing. "When did this go down?"

"Last Wednesday night, I kid you not."

The scenarios that immediately popped into Emily's mind were very entertaining. "Spare no details. Tell me about the adventures of Zion and River, please."

Virginia turned out to be such a great storyteller that Emily found it another fantastic reason to be falling in love with her. She was also reveling in every moment they'd had together so far that night. Never in her life had she had a first date go this well.

Where _had_ Virginia Lynn Ace Rainer been for her entire life?

Emily didn't know, but she was happy that she was here.


	27. Chapter 27

Virginia and Emily found themselves back on the couch before long. They were quiet. Both of them knew that they'd arrived at the part of the evening were more serious conversations were to be had.

Emily went first. "Why don't we look at my photo albums now? You need the version of events as told by me, since you've been hanging around my parents for so long."

"That sounds like a good idea." Virginia watched as Emily set her last bag on the coffee table. "What can you tell me about this one?"

She had picked up a leather-bound book with 'ITALY 1975' stamped across it in silver lettering. It had been the first one on the pile.

"This is from the first time we lived in Italy. It was only for a year, but it was great. I was five."

The picture on the first page was of Emily on her fifth birthday. She was at a dining table, dressed nicely, and grinning toothily for the camera. In pride of place was a large chocolate cake topped with five lit candles.

"Was this your birthday party?" Virginia said curiously.

"Mhm. It was fantastic... even though that part of my life is compounded by the fact that I refused to speak English."

"Is this because your parents both speak Italian with each other? Zion and I have seen them do it."

Emily nodded. "My father spoke it with his parents, and he taught my mom. Both of them passed it on to me. Italian is my first and favorite language."

"Amazing. Does that make English your second?"

"Yes, but it became a necessity, especially when we visited _mother's_ parents. They lived in Manhattan."

"That's cool."

Emily shrugged. "They were _so_ rich, but very unimpressed that their only grandchild spoke a foreign language before English."

"What was their problem?"

"They were actually upset that I wasn't born a boy. All they saw was the person would bring the end of the family line."

Virginia huffed, "That is a _preposterous _thing to hold over a child. Are your mother's parents around anymore?"

"Uh-uh, but there's no love lost because they were always jerks to me. I was closer with my father's parents."

"At least there's that—I've never know _any_ of my grandparents." Virginia said softly. "My family is going to love you so much. They'll also be impressed by all the cool things you know."

Emily's heart lightened. "Thank you for telling me that."

Virginia squeezed Emily's fingers gently and then pointed to the next picture. "Is that what I think it is?"

In this picture, Emily was chasing a rather beautiful and exotic bird.

"That _is _a peacock, yes. We were at a zoo in Rome." Emily said with a poker-stiff expression. "Those glorious birds have always roamed free there."

"But you _chased_ one." Virginia said blankly.

"That is a tale I will absolutely leave to my parents, but giving chase was the bird's idea of a spot of fun."

Virginia just shuddered. "I've survived war and injuries, but birds of all shapes and sizes have always given me the heebie-jeebies."

Emily snickered. "When we take Zion to the zoo in the spring, you can hold our things while I bring him and the baby into the aviary."

"Deal."

The tables turned a few photo albums later. A certain sight caused Emily to feel ill.

"Oh, my God." she averted her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Ace. I didn't meant to bring this one."

Virginia looked at the cover of the newest photo album. She saw an image of Emily with a very handsome man. They even seemed to be having a great time. Still... in the present, Emily seemed to be very upset.

"This is the baby's father?" guessed Virginia. "You made a scrapbook?"

"Yes to both. We weren't even together that long, but I've always liked to document things in my life, so I did that." Emily pushed the book away. "It came tonight because I just grabbed my whole collection."

"Did you forget it was in the stack, or something?"

"I did, and now I've ruined our date."

"You haven't ruined anything, and there's nothing to apologize for because it's behind you." Virginia stood, taking to book with her. "What's his name?"

"Andrew."

"His loss in mine and Zion's gain. I just got an idea."

"Like burning that damn book?" Emily said hopefully.

"Now don't be silly—the incinerator is in the basement."

"Then color me stumped."

"I can put the book in my safe deposit box when I go to the bank in the morning. Jellybean—or whichever name they get—can ask for it when they're older." Virginia said calmly. "I'll hold on to it, and we won't ever have to talk about until that day. That's a promise."

"Marry me." Emily blurted.

I would in a heartbeat, Virginia thought. "I'll take that as a 'yes, please' then, shall I?"

"Yes, please. I also don't know what came over me. Hell of a first date, huh?"

"It is. I'm loving every minute."

Emily couldn't believe her luck. "What I said didn't upset you?"

"Nope." Virginia said honestly. "Have you ever been married before?"

"Married, no. Engaged, yes. That was another lifetime ago." Emily gave her middle a rub when she felt the baby do a small flip. "Have _you_ ever been married or engaged?"

"Neither, but the person I was partnered to the longest ended up going haywire at one point. I've still never even been engaged before." Virginia gave Emily a kind look. "I'll be right back."

She gave her a comforting kiss. How she loved to touch her.

Emily felt light as air. She even blushed. Just a little.

Virginia crossed the loft to her office to put the scrapbook away.

River the cat burst Emily's bubble by leaping into her lap. She even began to knead her friend's shirt with her paws. This new person was just so intriguing.

Emily began to pet her. "You're a good girl, aren't you?"

River just meowed and arched her back as Emily hit a sweet spot.

"And you know, I _really_ dig your mama. Very much."

River laid on her back to expose her stomach. She was showing submission. This gave Emily pause, however. Touching any cat's middle was a death wish. Maybe this would be different.

"Please don't shred my fingers…"

River meowed again and relaxed.

Emily took this as a good sign and began to rub River's middle. The cat made loud, happy sounds. Relieved that her digits were still intact, Emily continued to shower affection. River was _very_ soft.

"Incredible." Virginia murmured when she returned and sat beside her date. "River has never done that for_ anyone."_

"River was kneading my middle a few moments ago. She must be zeroing in on my crazy hormones."

Virginia was quiet for a few beats as she thought of how to phrase her next item.

"Listen, Emelise—you don't have to tell me what you don't want to in one go tonight. I'm all ears if there's anything you _do_ want to get off your chest about... him..."

Emily was now very glad she had a purring cat in her lap to anchor her. "The whole reason we broke up was because of a selfish move on Andrew's part. A government position in London was dangled in front of him. He took it without even asking me."

"When does he go?"

"This Monday, and he still half-expected me to go with him."

"That's insane. Do you have history in London, anyway?"

"And then some." Emily continued petting River. "Andrew and I are officially done, but he actually cut ties with the baby. Never in my life has a relationship ended so badly before. I met you and Zion the next afternoon."

"Wow."

Emily turned and sat cross-legged, facing Virginia. "Tell me something about _you." _

Virginia didn't hold back. "None of us realized until it was too late that my partner on the force was unstable."

"What went down?"

"Wilder bipolar, and we didn't know that until well after the fact. There was just a day when everything went wrong. It's like he exploded." Virginia undid the bottom of her blouse. "He was utterly convinced that I was helping his wife to cheat on him."

"Oh, my God!"

"Marie _was _cheating, but I had no hand in that. He wouldn't have it." Virginia lifted the side of her blouse to show Emily her exposed side. "Wilder threw scalding water on me. This is the only part that never healed."

Virginia's fair skin here was rough and mottled, but it did look like a long-healed burn.

Emily looked back to Virginia. "That looks bad."

"It was worse, but all the pain stopped years ago." Virginia fixed her blouse back in place. "Wilder ended up having an actual psychotic break, and ended up being committed to a facility. Hurting me was the catalyst?

"I'm sorry." Emily offered.

"Me, too, but it was a long time ago." Virginia pointed to her bad leg. "Maybe I should tell you about this now."

"You've got my full attention."

Virginia made herself comfortable. "I still wanted to serve my community after I got out of the USMC, so I studied to become a member of law enforcement."

"You passed everything." Emily gave River one last pet before she jumped off the couch, apparently bored.

"Yes. Then came the assignment where I had to escort a diplomat's daughter to and from a conference she was attending. Just my luck, she literally had people gunning for her."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"My mother still doesn't. A sniper had been waiting my charge out, but I managed to shoot him dead before anything happened to my charge." Virginia said bluntly. "He still got me in the leg."

"Will you show me?" Emily asked gently.

Virginia physically lifted her bad leg on to the couch using both hands, and showed Emily her knee. An old surgical scar could easily be seen. It was tidy, but glaring.

"The bullet became lodged in a knee muscle. It took the doctors a few hours to get it out. At work, they offered me a desk job at HQ or else an early retirement package, since the damage was permanent."

"You ended up taking door number two."

"Bingo. I did that so I could focus on healing at my own rate." Virignia confirmed. "My needs eventually surpassed what they could give me there in Meridian."

"Fieldwork after an injury like that wouldn't really be a realistic option."

"This was also my thought. I was offered a desk job at the main police department HQ, or else an early retirement package."

Emily gave a nod of understanding. "You took door number two."

"Bingo. I took it, and I was able to focus on me." Virginia told her. "Unfortunately, my needs actually surpassed more than what they could could give me there in Meridian. I had to look into moving to the area of a better hospital."

"What was at the top of the list?"

"Walter Reed, up here. This was fate."

"What makes you say that?"

"My family had just moved up here. Leaving Mississippi to join them was a no-brainer. This town has been my home, ever since."

Emily hugged Virginia. "You've come so far. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." Virginia put one of Emily's hands on her scar. "Touch it. You see me for who I am, not what I have. Not a lot of people do. I love that."

What surprised Emily the most as she ran her fingers over the scar was that Virginia wasn't reacting. At all.

"Can't feel you that?" Emily closed her hand over Virginia's whole knee.

Virginia spoke placidly. "No; the injury severed those nerves. The feeling is all gone. I've turned away numerous offers for any kind of restoration procedure. Any consequence would be a major setback."

"With your walking abilities?"

"Yes. I like who I am now, and I want to move forward now. The last thing I _need_ is to revert." Virginia said firmly. "What do you think of me now?"

"Nothing different. I think you are amazing and brave." Emily moved closer. "I'm in awe."

She ran a finger across a part of Virginia's leg didn't have severed nerves. Virginia's breath hitched audibly.

Emily moved her hand a little higher. "Can you feel _that?"_

Virginia made a small twitch of pleasure. "Oh, yes."

"What about_ this?"_

Emily planted a trail of kisses down Virginia's body. She put in more effort, the more Virginia reacted. The air sizzled. Time stood still. It was beautiful and electrifying.

She worked her way back up, ending with a kiss on Virginia's lips.

"I _definitely_ felt _that." _Virginia purred. "I haven't been touched that way in a long time."

"Glad I could help remind you what it's like."

Virginia took one of Emily's hands in hers and kissed it. "All I want at the moment is to just jump your bones right now."

"But…?"

"Depending on how our second date goes, or even the third, we can't do anything more than kisses and touching. For now. Do you understand?"

"I do." Emily said quickly. "And you said _third_ date?"

Virginia flustered just as fast. "If you want to…"

"That's another yes." Emily touched Virginia's hand. "What else is on your plate?"

"My family. It's kind of a doozy."

Emily laughed. "Wait until you meet the rest of mine. Do you have a picture nearby?"

"It should be on the end table by you."

There were five occupants in this picture. Emily recognized Virginia at once, but not the two younger women flanking her. She had a small start when she realized that they were identical. At the forefront of the picture was an older woman sitting in a resplendent chair. A small child was on her lap. Everyone was dressed very nicely. It looked like they had gathered for a professional photo session.

"Ace," Emily said. "Your family is beautiful."

"Thanks." Virginia said sincerely. "And take it a closer look at my mom—I think you'll recognize her."

Emily had another start when she looked again. She _did _recognize Virginia's mother. Immediately.

"Your mom is _Amaya Rainer,_ the world-famous chocolatier?" she squawked. "Is she why you know so much about cooking?"

"That's right. I inherited just about everything from her, including my passion to cook. The only prominent trait I got from my dad are my green eyes."

"Is he taking the picture?"

"No." Virginia shrugged. "Never met him because he's always been out of the picture. Amaya won't even say his name. I haven't any idea."

Emily scrambled for something smart to say at this point. "You can't miss him if you don't know a thing about him..."

"Fitzhugh, meanwhile, has filled in the fatherly role. I love him for it. He even sends me flowers on my birthday every year." Virginia pointed to the younger women in the picture. "These are my middle sisters, Phoenix and Lilith. I gave them their names."

"How did you get _that_ kind of honor?"

"Mom lost a bet—fair and square, no matter what she might say." Virginia then indicated the last person in the picture. "Her name is Jubilation."

"She's adorable, and looks just like y—wait…"

Virginia watched the truth dawn on Emily. "Talk it out."

This should have been easy to digest after all that had happened at the LaMontagne house that night, but Emily still felt absurd. "Are you telling me that Jubilation is _also_ your sister?"

"Ding ding ding. She, Phoenix, and Lilith are even full sisters."

"You were right. Your family is a doozy."

"I can't believe you aren't freaking out." Virginia said, impressed. "Phoenix and Lilith were born during my junior year of high school. Jubilation ended up being a surprise in every sense of the word."

Emily held her hands in time-out. "What's the missing ingredient?"

"You mean their dad? He was complication and mayhem." A small sneer flickered across Virginia's face for a second before it was gone again. "In the long run, my mom, my sisters, and I have always been very close."

"That's great."

"They would agree with me, and didn't I say? My family is a doozy."

"I've officially hit my doozy quota for the night." Emily joked.

"Okay." Virginia nodded and rubbed Emily's leg. "Where is home for you around here?"

"Well, the morning after the break-up, I found out that my building has been seized for foreclosure—on top of being set for both tenting and fumigation."

This actually threw Virginia for a loop. "So where are you staying _now?" _

"At my partner's house. She and her husband invited me to stay until I'm back on my feet." Emily said. "There's just an unspoken deadline about when I should be out by."

"Maybe I can help. What is it?"

"I swear something's in the water. Uh, my partner is also expecting. _Twins."_

"Oh, my goodness. Do she and her husband have any other kids?"

"Two boys."

"You are more than welcome to crash here any time—no questions asked." Virginia decided.

Emily's heart did a few loops of joy. "Thanks, Ace. I haven't even gotten to who _else_ is at my partner's house."

"Hm?"

"Never mind." Emily gently guided Virginia's body so that her uneasy leg was pressed against her side. "You showed me one of your scars. Now I'm going to show you one of mine."

She pulled back part of her blouse and pointed to a massive scar beneath her ribs. "This is the mark that killed me."

"I'm sorry." Virginia kissed the spot. "Maybe this could help make some new memories."

Emily reveled in Virginia's featherlight touch. "It is. Let me show you something else."

"Go for it."

Emily smoothed her shirt over her bump again and framed it with her hands. Virginia marveled over how cute the shape was. For a few seconds, she let herself imagine what it would look like when it was bigger. That would be a fun time.

"This little one has been very jumpy since I walked into the loft here. I don't know what it is, but I just feel we were meant to be—like the universe arranged for it. Do you get what I mean?"

Virginia tore her eyes away from Emily's middle. "Yes, because I feel it. Already. I care for you a lot."

Emily smiled at her. "Just like _I_ care for _you."_

"Exactly. We were meant to find each other, and it happened." Virginia gave Emily a playful kiss on her throat. "I mean, we _have_ agreed to two more dates now."

"Very true." Emily splayed Virginia's hands across her bump. "It doesn't change anything that I'm pregnant?"

"No. Does it change anything that I have a three-year-old?"

Emily shook her head. "No. I really care about Zion already."

"Then there's your answer. Things are just going to be unconventional when it comes to the story of us."

Just like that, Emily knew that Virginia was it for her. For life.

I love you, she thought.

Virginia's train of thought was the same.

Emily pointed to her middle. "You talk to the baby. It's okay."

So Virginia spoke in a quiet motherly tone. "I'm your Mama Ace, and I want you to know that whatever happens, I will always care for you and your other mama. I'll do right by you both. You can hold me to that."

"Keep going, Ace." Emily encouraged. "Please."

"All you have to focus on is growing." Virginia continued. "When it's time for you to come out, you're going to have a have a big buddy called Zion. I can't wait for you to meet him. He's going to be over the moon."

Emily watched Virginia go on to tell the baby stories, and make the kinds of promises that a parent made to their child. It filled her with joy because she knew they were true.

Virginia was feeling the joy, too. The missing pieces of her life had finally arrived. She was complete. _They _were complete. Everything was finally complete.

Neither woman could come up with a name to describe the whole of what they were feeling just then. But it didn't matter.

They loved it. And each other. Even if the words hadn't been said yet. Aloud, anyway.

This was most certainly shaping out to be the oddest first date either one of them had ever been on in their lives.

They still wouldn't have had things any other way.

Thanks to the universe, they even already knew that they were meant to be soulmates.

Neither wanted the night to end.

So they both happily stayed in the moment.


	28. Chapter 28

**I've heard the notes on the previous chapter, and the message is received. Please don't worry. **

* * *

Emily and Virginia sat together, just enjoying each other. Neither had ever had a first date like this before.

Then something caught Emily's eye. Or rather some _things…_

"Do those rings mean something?" she asked Virginia.

Indeed, Virginia was wearing two distinctive rings on her left hand.

She regarded them for a moment. "They're treasures, and both with stories."

Emily fixed her blouse closed again and touched Virginia's compass tattoo. "That's one story down. I would love to hear more. Please?"

Virginia handed her the first ring. "Okay. Check this one out."

It was made of thin braided gold, with a ruby-colored stone in the middle. Simple. Beautiful.

"Phoenix and Lilith received birthstone rings on their twenty-first birthdays, and Jubilation will receive one when it's her turn." Virginia indicated the gem. "That's my birthstone on the top."

"And ruby means July." Emily recalled. "A special date for me is July twenty-second."

Virginia stared. "And that's my birthday. Are you _sure _that you haven't been googling me?"

"Yes. Actually, my partner has been reading your work for ages, and it seems that she figured out on her own that you two have the same birthday."

"How about that? Which one of us is older?"

"You, by exactly a year. Her older son also reads your books."

"Now I _really_ want to meet them." Virginia pointed to the birthday ring again. "My mom started the tradition with me when I turned twenty-one. I'm going to have to do something like that for Zion when he's of age."

"That's a sound plan."

Taking this in stride, Virginia had Emily her second ring, this one silver. The band featured an emblem of her old badge number on one side and the USMC insignia on the other. Atop in pride of place was another ruby. _'To Protect And Serve' _encircled it. Prestigious was the word that came to mind. This ring commanded respect, where the other one had been for beauty.

"What's the tale here?" Emily wanted to know.

"I was given _this_ ring when I retired. Everyone on my squad chipped in for it."

"Wow. That's really nice."

Virginia nodded. "Emily, do you collect any specific types of jewelry?"

"Anklets. However," Emily pointed to her middle. "Those will be hard to put on after awhile."

Virginia patted Emily's leg. "I can help you with that."

"Thank you."

Even as Emily said these words, she realized that she was looking at Virginia's rings again. Her imagination was running away with her. But she couldn't have that. So she put the rings back in Virginia's hand and closed her fingers over them.

"Hey, how did your conference call go? You said at the café that you had to leave so you could take part in one."

"Oh." Virginia recognized what Emily was doing, so she played along. "It was fine—just housekeeping items from an international book tour I recently completed."

"It's been a few years since I left the country." Emily said in wistfulness. "An actual adventure would be fun."

"This last one was—Fitzhugh volunteered to come with us to look after Zion because I'd never been away from him for any extended amount of time. Everyone else was unavailable. He even paid his own way."

"Wow. He told me recently that he'd been traveling for awhile with a friend. Where did you all go?"

"After it kicked off here, we went went to New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Calgary, London, Dublin, and Sydney. It was all amazing."

Emily felt a little guilty at this point. "I wish I'd asked him for more details when we'd talked about it, but I was distracted because work had become a madhouse."

Virginia shook her head in amusement. "Look at this."

She was pointing to the inside forearm where a window of sorts could be seen inside the tattoo sleeve. Inside here, two names had been inked in a very delicate script. Zion. _Eden. _

"Oh, my goodness." Emily exhaled noisily. "Zion and Eden are the only two names I've ever considered for any kids of mine."

Virginia was bowled over by this. "If this isn't the universe causing our paths to cross, I don't know what is. I already have Zion. The one coming _will_ be dear Eden."

Thrilled by Virginia's confidence, Emily deadpanned, "Please tell me that there's a story about why you have those names tattooed on yourself."

"There is. It would be best to leave it for another day." Virginia said in a tone of some finality. "What's up? You're squirming now."

"I'll have to show you some time, but I have two glass jars at home filled with origami stars that I made. Want to take a wild guess about what names I put on the jars when I completed them?"

"Zion and Eden."

"Precisely. Now, this." Emily pointed to the names on Virginia's arm. "I don't know what to say."

Virginia beckoned to her. "Then just come here. Please."

Emily sat with Virginia, enjoying her embrace, while they talked about many more things.

Including everything that they were going to do on their next date.

* * *

But, as good things always do, the date came to an end.

Virginia walked Emily all the way down to the building door when she had packed her things up.

"Thank you for such a wonderful night." she said.

_"I _should be telling _you_ that." Emily zipped up her coat and found her things up. "Virginia, I had a really great time, too."

"That makes me so happy." Virginia hugged her. "Zion and I will see you on Saturday."

Emily nodded as she pulled away. "Just a few more days. And don't forget—I'm always down for texts and calls."

"As am I."

They kissed. It was magical.

With echoes of, "Saturday," and promised to further their communication in the time away, Emily left.

* * *

The rest of the family started clearing out of the LaMontagne house not long after Emily's departure. After the last person had gone, Katherine expressed a desire to collect hers and Olivia's things from their hotel. Will helped her out on this front. It didn't take them long to head out.

Olivia stayed behind because she had been having fun with her cousins.

This brought about an adrenaline crash before long.

JJ was even holding her when Emily returned.

She watched her friend set a container in the refrigerator when she called out a soft greeting. "Hey, Em."

The dark-haired woman jointed them at the table and chuckled at the sight of a snoozing toddler. "Did Olivia party hard?"

"That's about the size of it, and then she wouldn't let anyone else hold her. Only me."

Emily looked around. "Where is Katherine?"

"Upstairs, getting ready for bed. Will helped her get checked out of her hotel." JJ's eyes darted up to the ceiling for a second. "Katherine is going to get her in a minute."

"So you're getting in some last-minute snuggles with Olivia."

JJ nodded. "For the night, at least. She was talking in her sleep about five minutes ago. The subject was Noah's ark."

"Wow. It must be noisy in her head."

"Henry _and_ Michael are also sleep talkers. The things that come out of their mouths are just wild." JJ motioned towards the refrigerator with her head. "What did you just put away?"

"I told Ginny in passing that I had been craving popcorn dipped in strawberry yogurt. She came through for me and gave me that to bring home."

"That's very sweet." JJ then looked Emily up and down. "You're glowing. How did your date go? Still certain that you've met your future wife?"

Emily's heart fluttered. "More than ever. Jennifer, she has the names Eden _and_ Zion inked on one arm."

"Get out."

"Now _there's_ a hell of a movie." came a new voice.

Will had arrived.

He said to Emily, "I hope you know that her favorite kind of movies are suspense thrillers. She also loves _Jaws." _

"I figured that out a _long_ time ago—try December 2006." Emily answered without missing a beat. "In Boston."

Will was already sighing. "What happened?"

"There was a freak blizzard that left us all stranded in our hotel for quite some time. You know that JJ and I always share a room when we travel, right?"

"Uh-huh…"

"Well, we were stuck in Boston for three days because it was just that bad." Emily recollected. "That means that we got to know each other very well."

Will sighed again. "And how long had you been part of the BAU by that point?"

"About a month."

"And was this when you two learned about each other's favorite movie genres?"

"That's a gold star for you." Emily praised him. "And how can you be a great movie lover, but recoil at movies like _Get Out,_ my friend?"

Will became saved from answering when Katherine finally joined them.

"It's way too quiet upstairs, now that the boys are asleep." she joked.

JJ held Olivia out to Katherine. "Here is your lovebug."

Katherine took her with ease before turning to Emily. "How did your date go?"

"Very well, thanks!" Emily chirped.

"Good." Katherine said to the other three. "Good night, everyone—we're off to bed."

So the Spellingses exited.

A sudden thought popped into Emily's head and she turned to the lone blond in the room.

"Jennifer."

"What?" she said in actual surprise.

"Have you been waiting up for me?"

JJ was like a deer caught in the headlights. _"No!"_

Will smirked. "She totally was."

Emily arched an eyebrow. "Oh? And what about you, William?"

He shrugged. "What kind of brother would I be if I didn't try?"

"Smooth. I'll be right back."

Emily realized that if she didn't tell _someone_ about the exact nature of the connection Virginia had to her parents, she would burst. Odds like this were astronomical.

So she dressed more casually, removed her makeup, and put her hair into a ponytail before making her away back to the kitchen again. Time to just be herself.

Neither LaMontagne had left the kitchen table. They wanted to chat. About _something._

"Have you decided to share her name yet?" JJ blurted as Emily sat down.

Will threw his hands into the air. "Jesus Christ. Can't you let her breathe? What happened to taking it easy?"

Emily laughed at both of them. "I am _not _sharing her full name because you have to earn it."

Now JJ spoke in protest. "What the hell?"

"I promise that it's worth it. Anyway, I'm glad you're both here. Something happened on the more personal front."

"Really?" the LaMontagnes chimed together.

"Really. We got to talking about family, and _I_ mentioned _mine."_

"How did that go?" Will asked. "Ginny already knows your parents."

"In a word, Ginny finds all of you very neat. Same for the BAU team."

Will bobbed his head but checked on his wife. She was yet digesting that one of her favorite authors found her family to be interesting. What was her life now?

"You okay, cher?" Will asked JJ.

She nodded after a moment. "Yes. I'm fine."

"Good." Emily approved. "Because amongst other things, Ginny expressed a desire to meet everybody. I also told her that you and Henry both read her books."

"Oh, my God…"

Emily reached out and patted JJ's hand. "Ginny has been through a lot in her lifetime, but I'm promising you now that she's very delightful and normal. There are also two more dates to go before I bring her around."

It was this last part that really captured JJ's attention. "Wait. _Two_ more dates?"

"Yes. Including one on Saturday."

"Wow. I'm glad you had such a nice time."

Will nodded in agreement. "So am I."

"Thank y…"

Emily's words trailed off as she surveyed her friends a little closer. She believed that they were happy jus then, but it was easier to see than ever that they were _definitely_ both holding something out.

"Okay, what's wrong?" she asked them.

The LaMontagnes became sheepish.

"Will, JJ? What's up? I'm starting to freak out a little."

Will finally spoke after what he felt was the longest pause of his life. "It's about my mother."


	29. Chapter 29

Both LaMontagnes looked at Emily in trepidation.

There was definitely more than one somethings that needed to be addressed, but all further discussion was halted until Emily's return from her date. Leaving her out felt wrong since she had all but pledged her allegiance to this... _quest._ If that was even the word.

Emily sounded puzzled. "What _about _your mother? Will, I thought you said that don't know anything about her."

"I don't," he admitted. "But then I was hit with a memory out of the blue. It's just more of who than a what. Her name is June McCann."

"That's really specific. Who was she?"

"Therein lies the rub. I know I've heard the name somewhere before, but it had to have been back in New Orleans. Where, exactly? When? Why? _Those _are the things I'm stuck on."

Emily had been completely reeled in by now. "Please tell me what on earth prompted this recollection of June McCann."

"JJ asked me to get a box for her from the attic about twenty minutes ago. I found it, but it knocked a different box loose on that shelf. Some things even fell out." Will gave a shaky laugh. "None of this is being made up."

"I'm well aware that this definitely sounds that way, but after all these years, I've never had a reason to doubt you on anything. Not once. What were you looking for in the first place?"

JJ spoke up here. "I asked him to see if he could find a box of journals I kept as a kid. It's the other box that matters."

"Oh? And what was in it?"

Will said, "Old books of my dad's. This fell out of a copy of _Paradise_ _Lost."_

He handed her from his shirt pocket an old photograph. Emily found herself gazing upon the image of a strikingly beautiful young woman. She was dressed very nicely, and with her hair, makeup, and shoes done just right, it looked as if she was getting ready to go some place nice. The photographer had even caught in her in a pleasant mood because she was laughing.

"Look at the back." Will said.

Emily turned the photograph over. It read, _June McCann. August 1976. _

She looked at her friend again. "This is what was in the box?"

"Yep. I also know that I was born in February 1977."

"That's just six months after this picture was taken." Emily observed.

Will nodded. "Yes. There's also a surefire way I know that this was taken in New Orleans. Do you see that bush behind June?"

The plant in question looked more like a tree in Emily's opinion. Each branch protruding from it was covered in a plethora of white blossoms, and they all seemed to be coming out of the trunk like a fountain.

"I see it." Emily told him. "The plant is very beautiful. What's it called?"

"Bridal Wreath Spirea. It's native to New Orleans, and I know that because it grew all over my old neighborhood. Even _after _the hurricane."

Emily had something of an epiphany. "What if this was taken at your parents' place?"

Will almost sounded defeated. "It could have been, for all I know."

"But _no_ idea who June McCann was? Or is?"

"No. My mother was out of my life by 1979, and it's like my father erased all trace of her after that." Will ran his fingers nervously through his hair. "I always figured that she broke his heart. Or he broke hers."

Emily gave him a pat on the arm. "What would you do if you _could_ meet your mother?"

This brought up a whole slew of emotions, but Will did his best to keep it together. "I would ask her why she never came back, and I would also try to be friends. If she wanted it."

"Those are good goals. Any ideas what you would do if she has a new family?"

"I guess I'd want to know their names, but if they want to me to stay away, then I would. Knowing they were out there would just have to be enough. It would all be the end of a lifetime of wondering—I would be able to move on."

Emily regarded Will with something like pity. She had never seen this type of vulnerability from him before, like a worried little boy.

"Thank you for sharing all of this with me. Do you want us to look for June?

"Yes." he confirmed. "What do you think?"

The gears in Emily's head were already whirring fast. "You better believe we'll help, and I've even already had an idea. It just involves a 'third party,' if you will."

JJ's eyebrows lifted in surprise when she realized that her partner was driving at. "Emelise, are you sure?"

She didn't miss a beat. "Don't pretend like it didn't cross your mind, Jennifer. Be real."

JJ sat in defeat because she knew that Emily was right. This was going to be a fun ride.

"Someone want to clue me in?" Will said pointedly after a brief pause.

Emily spoke seriously. "Will, sine of the matters that surround June McCann are a tad outside of my personal depth. Even your wife's."

"Like the power _of_ your searching, and how you execute it?"

"Mhm. So we're back at that third party option again."

"Well?" the man pressed. "What name did you come up wi—oh…"

"There it is." Emily praised.

"If we go about this to full extent, we would have to bring in Penelope."

"Bingo."

Will trusted Penelope wholly. If he didn't, he would have never agreed to name her as his sons' godmother, but… her inclusion still meant someone else coming in to all this.

"But because your team is interconnected, if we _do _bring Penelope in, it's just inevitable that everyone else will find out somehow."

"That's two points for you. _Is_ this a risk you're willing to take?" Emily asked him. "It's all on you."

Emily and JJ both looked at him, waiting to see what he would say. This had all started with a choice of his. It seemed logical that _his_ answer was to be the deciding factor.

"Okay. Penelope is in," Will said confidently. "But let's keep this between is and her, for as long as possible. Agreed?"

Emily nodded. "Agreed."

JJ echoed her. "Agreed."

Will breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you both."

"Anything for my brother." Emily said as she got to her feet. "I mean that."

He gave her a grateful smile. "You're the best sister."

Emily held the photograph out to him. "You should take this. It belonged to Senior."

Will gently pushed her hand back. "You take it for now. Maybe it'll spark something."

"Okay." Emily rose to her feet. "Then I'm off to bed now. Good night."

The LaMontagnes also bid their friend a good night.

When she was gone, JJ turned to Will and kissed him.

"How do you feel now?" she asked him.

He kissed her in return. "A lot better. And JJ?"

"Yes, hot stuff?"

"I love you so much." Will got in one last kiss. "Let's go to bed."

"That," JJ said as she let Will pull her to her feet. "Sounds like a great idea."

* * *

Breakfast was fun. In JJ's eyes.

Thanks to the presences of Emily, Katherine, and Olivia, Michael grew into a very silly mood. He lived for excitement. No matter what time of day it was.

The toddler tapped Emily on the shoulder. "Aunt Emmy?"

She turned to him. "What's shaking, handsome?"

"Help me down? Please?"

Emily set her nephew on the floor.

"Thank you!" Michael trilled sweetly.

JJ shook her head in amusement. "He's got you wrapped right around his finger, Em."

"What?" she said distractedly.

"Michael knows perfectly well how to get off a chair. He just asked for your help because he was testing your will and staying power. You caved instantly."

"Whoops." Nearby, Katherine snorted into her orange juice.

"Um," Olivia interjected suddenly. "What's happening?"

She and Henry were observing Michael. The rest of them turned to look.

JJ sighed, already half-amused. Her husband and her youngest son were deadlocked in a staring contest.

"Don't you do it." Will warned Michael.

The little boy continued to be sweet and unassuming. "Why?"

"Because I _said_ so."

Apparently, this was all Michael needed to goad him into action because in the blink of an eye… he was dashing out of the room—without a stitch of clothing on. Will chased him immediately.

While Henry roared with laughter, Katherine turned to Olivia.

"Will you join Cousin Michael?" she asked her.

Olivia shook her head. "No, mumma. He's being silly."

"That's definitely true. Please finish your toast. We're off to an early start."

Olivia went back to her toast.

Emily looked at JJ is astonishment. "What did I just do?"

JJ chuckled. "Kickstart Michael's unpredictable silly streak, is what. Fingers crossed you get used to it."

This bewildered Emily.

Will entered the room again with his escape artist before she could ask for elaboration. Michael was even in a fresh outfit. And looking smug.

JJ spoke swiftly to her husband. "Please tell me he didn't get to defcon four _that_ fast."

Will shook his head. "No, thank God."

"Seriously."

Wondering what 'defcon four' could possibly mean in this context, but choosing not to further encourage Michael, Emily said, "How can I help you clean up? We should get on the road soon."

Without any more mess and only a dash of mayhem, Emily and JJ finally left the house.

* * *

JJ drove them to Quantico in her car. Emily was thankful because her mind was other places. A small blessing was that neither matter were technically BAU-related.

But JJ had her number. As per usual.

"You know, you've been quiet pretty much the whole way up here." she said when they had reached their building property and parked. "Is there anything you want to get off your chest?"

"During my date," Emily cringed as she thought of what came next. "There was a point when I blurted "Marry me!" to Ginny."

"You did _what?_ How did she react?""

"Very well, and she actually took it in stride. I only said it because _she_ had something kind."

JJ smirked. "I will start stockpiling stories _now_ to start telling Ginny whenever she finally comes for a visit."

These words filled Emily with a comical sense of dread. "Like what?"

"Hungover you in Las Vegas," JJ said as they gathered their belongings and left the car to trudge across the parking lot. "Threatening to inflict harm on me in some fashion if I pressed a lit button on a slot machine, for starters."

Emily blanched as she remembered this with ease. "Do you _have_ to bring that up?"

"Hey—my baby boy stripped naked in front of you, me, Will, Henry, Katherine _and_ Olivia."

"Talk about a baptism by fire…" Emily muttered.

"Instead of a repeat of that, since you're clearly serious about Ginny, we'll have to settle with stories. Quiet is _not_ this family's way."

_"__Fine, _but try not to scar her."

JJ saluted. "What was the other issue that you wanted to talk about?"

"June McCann."

They had entered their building and checked in by now, so JJ pulled Emily out of the way of the main foot traffic.

"Care to be specific?" she implored.

Emily took the photograph out of her inner jacket pocket. "You don't think that _she_ is—or was—Will's mother?"

"No." JJ glanced at the picture for a few beats and shook her head. "June is incredibly beautiful, but she doesn't look like him. I also don't see any resemblance to Henry or Michael."

"Okay, good. I also don't see any of those things." Emily sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than her partner. "All of that would just be too easy."

"It definitely would, and I enjoy a good mystery. What else are you thinking?"

"What if we _do_ locate her, and she's dead. Or down south?" Emily wanted to know. "It isn't like we could take the jet for a crusade."

"Not really—the budget oversight committee might frown on that." JJ laughed softly. "Aaron said those exact words to me once about the budget oversight committee."

"What had you asked him?"

"If I could borrow the jet to go be with Henry because he was ill. This was when we had all had to play storm chaser in Tornado Alley on purpose."

"So you asked Aaron because you had a family emergency."

"I did. All of what's happening _now_ isn't exactly an emergency, but it _is_ about uncovering part of my husband's past."

"And I openly refer to him as my brother." Emily said in thoughtfulness. "I'd say it all falls under the family category."

"And I agree. If we run into any complications about June, we will cross those bridges when we get there."

Emily breathed an extra audible sigh of relief. "Thank you."

JJ winked. "Thank _you _for your loyalty to the family. We wouldn't be who we are without you."

Emily felt an extra surge of affection at these words, but became saved from being embarrassed by her loopy hormones just as one of their colleagues joined them.

"And what are you two conspiring about?" Rossi asked.

"Absolutely nothing." Emily said too quickly for her friend's liking.

Rossi was not moved. "Yeah, right. You two have been very squirrelly since the Yarn Children case. What is going on?"

JJ spoke with deflection. "Stuff and things."

"And what were you two like when you were actual teenage girls with attitude?"

"Crazy." Emily said without hesitation.

"Only a little bit loud." JJ replied at the same time.

Rossi shook his head. "Wow. You two are really something else."

"That goes without saying—they've been keeping me on my toes for a very long time."

These words were spoken by Spencer as he walked over. Matt was beside him.

The other three just stared. None of them had noticed their people approaching.

Spencer nervously tacked on, "Good morning, everyone?"

Rossi looked from one man to the other. "How did you two manage to arrive at the same time? You live in opposite ends of town."

"So do JJ and Emily!"

This was ignored as Matt stepped in. "We have the same public transportation routes."

Incredibly, this was when Penelope, Tara, and Luke entered the lobby. They joined the everyone else when they saw them.

"Family powwow?" Tara guessed.

Luke saw at once that something was afoot. "Oh, I am staying out of this one."

Meanwhile, Penelope had zeroed in on Emily and JJ. "What's the matter with you two?"

Emily pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can't we _ever_ do anything small?"

"No." chorused Penelope, Rossi, Luke, Tara, and Matt together.

JJ made herding motions towards the elevators. "Come on, children. Everyone upstairs. We have another long day ahead."

They all piled into the nearest lift when it opened, and began their trip to the sixth floor. Even on the days when thing were supposed to be quiet, they never were. But this was okay.

The last thing Emily wanted was anything but a job that was ordinary. Or quiet.


	30. Chapter 30

As Emily began her work day, she did her best to focus. She loved her job, but there was just so much happening in her life that all she wanted was to just run away. What was it like to have a normal job? She couldn't remember anymore. How did they still have another week of bench time after this one? What she wouldn't give to be able to tell them they were off to a case on the other side of the country. But no. This was reality.

Even staring out the window didn't help. All she saw was the building courtyard. What had Hotch gained, all the times he had stared out at this very view? Hell if Emily knew.

Her thoughts did wander, but they didn't land on something pleasant.

And it caused her groan audibly.

JJ chose this moment to visit her CO's office. "Emelise, are you okay?"

She sighed as she turned to face her partner. "I honestly don't know. It just occurred to me that Monday makes it official—Andrew is off to England."

"That's a _good_ thing." JJ drew closer. "It's what you _wanted."_

Emily raked her middle with her knuckles. "It is, but it also feels incredibly _final._ I've never been though something like this before. My feelings are all over the place."

JJ chose her words carefully—after all, she had been with Will for a good chunk of her adult life now. "Those feelings are completely normal. Nobody could be upset with you for having them."

"Thank you for telling me that."

"What are friends for?" JJ offered her a friendly smile. "Does Ginny know what Monday marks?"

"Yes. She does."

"If you don't end up hanging out with her, I'll cook you whatever you want for dinner." JJ decided. "That's a promise."

"Thank you again."

"Now," Emily walked around her desk to join her partner. "What brings you over here already? You and I aren't due to start the case reviewing for another hour."

JJ grew sheepish. "I was wondering if you wanted to go pay a visit to Penelope… Maybe even talk about the June McCann thing? It would be nice to tell Will that we tried."

Emily straightened out her suit jacket. "It would, wouldn't it?"

The walk to Penelope's lair was short, but upon arrival, both JJ and Emily were immediately wishing that it had been longer. A _lot_ longer. Penelope was in one her rare towering moods.

"What's going on?" Emily asked her.

Penelope whirled around, ready to snipe at whoever had come calling, but she relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Pardon me." she adjusted her glasses. "Boss ladies! What can I do for you?"

JJ and Emily looked around the office. Usually, it was organized chaos, but it was just a disaster. Components and wires were all over the place.

JJ checked her watch. "We've been here at work for almost two hours. Why does it look like a hurricane blew through?"

"Oh, wait." Emily said suddenly. "This is that system update I approved, isn't it?"

Penelope nodded. "Yes, and I _am_ a tech genius, but I did not expect it to be _this _hard!"

"When was the last time tech had you this vexed?"

"This was before we met you, but it was the Fisherking case."

JJ winced. "I haven't thought about that in years. Never have I _ever_ been able to look at birds the same way again."

"What the hell?" Emily protested.

"We're talking about the Jamaica case I mentioned the other day." JJ said gently. "From 2006."

Emily nodded in understanding.

"Never mind, then." Emily looked over at the tech expert. "Penelope?"

She looked up from her things again, startled—Emily usually addressed her by her last name in the work environment. "Yes?"

"How long do you think it'll take you to update everything on the whole?"

Penelope sighed. "Probably the rest of the day."

Emily was only slightly disappointed. "Oh. Okay."

JJ's expression also reflected Emily's train of thought. "At least you have a timeframe."

A lightbulb went off over Penelope's head as she had an epiphany. "You two need my help on something—you never visit me together!"

"Is the researching part of your network still intact?" Emily asked helpfully.

"It is, but things are going to be a little slow for the time being."

JJ shut Penelope's office door behind her. "You should sit down."

Penelope did. "You guys, _what?"_

"We do need your help with something," Emily said. "And it concerns Will."

"I'm all ears."

JJ asked, "Do you remember how our paths even crossed Will's in the first place?"

"Oh, yes. File 'modern day Jack the Ripper' under things that will be burned into my brain until the day I die."

"Then I'm sure you remember all the digging you had to do into Will's life? And his father's?"

"Shockingly, yes."

"And we only covered the _LaMontagne_ side." JJ chimed in. "Just them."

Things fell into place for Penelope. "Is this about your husband's _mother?"_

"Yes, but there are a few problems." Emily said.

"Wait." Penelope put her hands in a timeout gesture. "How do _you_ know?"

"I'm going to be staying at the LaMontagne house for awhile because a whole bunch of crazy things just happened to me. In a row."

"Oh, my God. Are you okay?"

Emily nodded. "Yes, and I will explain all of it on Monday to everyone because I don't want to repeat myself."

JJ chimed in, "And you know very well that Will and I have always had… a _bond_ with Emily."

"I should say so, what with all you three have been through over the years." Penelope said. "What problems have you two run into today?"

Emily spoke first. "Will's mother dropped out of his life completely and he doesn't remember her anymore. She was completely gone by the time he was two. His father also refused to say her name after she left."

"What about records?" Penelope tried.

"The hurricane took all of them. Anything useful was in the wind—literally—after he started rebuilding."

"Talk about rotten luck. What prompted the idea to look for Will's mother in the first place?"

Emily thought about it. "All of the recents events concerning the Jareaus. That's my understanding."

Penelope was digesting all of this very well, but only because of how dearly she cared for her friends. "Then whose idea was it to involve _me?"_

"Mine." Emily said. "You have technological powers, and you're very good at thinking outside of the box. Can we trust you?"

"Always, but all three of us know that this team is like a family. Secrets don't stay secret for long."

JJ nodded. "We've elected to cross that bridge when we get there. There's even been a clue already."

"What was it?" Penelope felt spellbound.

Emily handed her the photograph. "This."

Penelope marveled over the image as she held it. "Wow. She's beautiful."

"Uh-huh. She's a knockout."

"I agree, one hundred percent. What's her name?"

"June McCann." Emily motioned for Penelope to turn the picture over. "That was shot in 1976."

Penelope read the information and scanned the image into her computer system. "I am irrevocably invested now. Please tell me there's another part to what's happening."

Emily and JJ told Penelope about the conversation they'd had with Will.

"This is all so incredible—by which I mean in the odd, fantastic way. It's all quite something."

"That's a major understatement…" Emily muttered.

JJ pressed, _"Are_ you with us?"

"Together, or not at all." Penelope stood and handed the picture back. "I mean it. You can count on me. Will you pass that message along?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"And no pressure, PG." Emily motioned to the interior of the room at large. "We totally understand that you have other things to do."

"Definitely true. If I have time before the end of the day, I will do some digging."

"That's all we ask."

JJ opened the door again. "We will leave you to it. Thanks again."

Penelope winked. "Anything for family."

JJ and Emily left Penelope's office in higher spirits. Hopefully today wouldn't be too slow, after all.

They were barely to the elevator when JJ's phone rang. She stomped her foot when she saw the name on the screen.

"What?" Emily said in amusement.

"My _dad_ is calling." JJ came off sounding like an annoyed twelve-year-old.

"How did he get your—never mind. Answer him."

"I'm almost tempted to let it keep ringing…"

"Don't be insolent. Just talk to him and come find me when you're done."

Capitulating, JJ agreed and let herself into her old office because it was nearby.

"What's up, Clifford?" JJ greeted her father when she finally answered her phone.

Clifford sighed. "Can't you just call me dad?"

"No. You lost that chance when you abandoned me. Why are you calling?"

"I... was hoping we could go to dinner together."

Everything inside JJ wanted to say no—out of spite—but denying this olive branch would just be cruel. "Okay. When and where?"

"Tomorrow night?" suggested Clifford. "The Forest Fiddler, at eight?"

"That'll work. See you there."

Clifford nodded, even though JJ couldn't see him. "Alright. See you then. Thank you."

JJ answered more tartly than she intended. "You're welcome."

They hung up, and JJ took the steps necessary to compartmentalize. She really didn't feel like discussing her feelings about her father with about anyone else at work other than Emily. Why couldn't her family drama just be ordinary?

"What did Clifford want?" Emily asked JJ when she joined her at last.

"Dinner tomorrow night, at The Forest Fiddler."

"Wow. Do you want to talk about it?"

JJ shook her head. "Not until we go home. What exactly did _you_ want to talk about?"

"Nothing as astounding as you accepting an invitation to dinner with your father. Just more catch-up from when you were out sick." Emily sighed. "I think we should start that now—lest we get another interruption in the next five seconds."

"Good plan." JJ pulled a stack of brown file folders from the side of the desk to the center of it. "Where do we start?"

And for the next long while, all JJ and Emily had to do was focus on being profilers. It was the closest to normal that they had at the moment. Which was perfectly okay by them. Especially JJ.

The idea of being alone with her father made her feel very uneasy.

She also wondered what Katherine would say. _That _was going to be a fun chat.


	31. Chapter 31

The day went by in the blink of an eye again.

JJ all but fell on to hers and Will's bed after arriving home from work. She was happy for the solace. Will completed this by closing the door behind him. He had seen at once that something was eating his wife. Now it was just a matter of getting down to the bottom of the issue.

"Why the long face, cher?" Will asked. "Long day?"

"Only because I was actually doing mundane government paperwork. How was _your _day?"

"Dull as dirt—the coffee pot was broken." Will sat with her. "Again."

"I think you guys need to replace that old thing. Didn't you tell me once that it was new the same week you were hired?"

"That's a long memory." Will rubbed JJ's thigh. "Are you calling me old?"

"Nope." JJ straddled Will and kissed him. "Not at all."

"Good, but Lord knows I _feel_ it some days."

JJ took both of Will's hands in hers and kissed his fingers. "Did you come up with a brilliant solution to save the day at work?"

"We, that is to say Primrose and I," Will clarified. "Took up a cash collection and a list of orders to the coffee place across the street. They helped us out and were very patient."

"Wow. Did you guys tip them?"

Will nodded. "And well."

They were then quiet a beat.

The course of what Will had had to say had run its course… meaning that JJ would have to talk about what was on her mind. It still hadn't stopped eating her.

Will decided to let JJ have a little more leeway and touched a hand to her middle. "How are the babies?"

"Behaving." JJ said in relief as she focused on her youngest children. "Here's hoping to a normal enough weekend."

She kissed Will again.

"Okay," Will returned the affection. "But when has _anything_ in our lives, together or apart, ever been close to normal?"

"Good point." JJ capitulated.

"Does the whole team know about the babies yet?"

JJ shook her head. "Matt and Emily know. Everyone else is in the dark, since we chose to wait until Monday."

"Because that makes twelve weeks." Will recalled. "Were you and Emily at least able to talk to Penelope about... everything?"

"We were. Penelope is in the know now, and she's onboard."

"But…?"

"We caught her in the beginnings of a massive system upgrade, Will. She had no time for anything other than that project."

Will tried not to feel too disappointed. "Oh. That's okay."

"Never fear. Penelope promised to take a whack at looking into June McCann tomorrow."

"Alright. I'll call Penelope later to say thank you." Will said with satisfaction. "And I'll thank Emily—if we can get her away from Henry, Michael, and Olivia..."

"Stop it." JJ laughed. "She loves it, and so do they."

Will pressed a kiss to JJ's cheek. "If you insist."

JJ bobbed her head, her mind already back on her phone call from that morning.

And Will could see that there was no further use in putting things off. "I'll ask you again, cher—why the long face?"

"I got an interesting call this morning. Uh... my dad called me."

Will interlocked his fingers behind JJ's back, supporting her. "Wow. That's bold."

"You're telling me." JJ interlocked her arm's with Will's. "I couldn't even call him _dad_ because I'm still mad at him. He asked me to dinner, and I said yes because he extended the olive branch first."

"That's definitely big of him. Is he back on speaking terms with Hannah yet?"

"He had better be. I've had my share of quarreling parents to last a _lifetime. _What do you make of all this?"

Will pulled JJ closer to him. "I think that I am very proud of you, Jennifer. This has all been one roller coaster after another, but you've still handled all of it. Not everybody could. Yet, you have."

"Something tells me that the drama concerning my parents—all _three_ of them—is far from over. Thank you for being at my side, William. I love you."

"And _I_ love _you."_ Will returned. "Thank you for being at _my _side while we figure out the mystery surrounding _my_ parents. Our lives will never be quiet again, will they?"

"No." JJ laid an ear to Will's chest so she could hear his heartbeat. "Welcome to what is going to be the greatest adventure of our lives together."

Will just nodded and rubbed his wife's back. JJ had always been very affectionate towards him for as long as they had known each other, but it seemed like that particular trait heightened when she was pregnant. So he was going to take in every moment like this that he could.

But—

The LaMontagnes were interrupted by a slapping sounding on their bedroom door.

"Daddy?" came Michael's voice. "Daddy?"

There was more slapping of a tiny hand on wood. Michael knew about the idea of knocking on a door, but had yet to master the concept.

"Just a second, buddy!" Will called back. "Stay put!"

"Okay!" Michael trilled.

Will then sighed as he disentangled himself from JJ and sat up. "There are two other adults in the house because us now. Yet, he still goes out of his way to seek _me_ out when I'm behind a closed door."

"In a small number of years, the twins will be doing the same thing. Imagine identical baby girls that are copies of me, but with _your_ accent."

"Not fair, darling." Will griped. "I'd be done for."

JJ sat up straighter and gave Will a gentle nudge away. "Messing with you is fun. Now go play with Michael before he tries to break the door down."

Will got in one last kiss and left for the hallway.

All JJ wanted was to crawl under her bed covers on her bed, but she had a family to take care of. And a chat with Katherine was due.

So after a quick shower and a change of clothes, so headed back downstairs.

JJ smelled something unexpected for this time of night when she reached the kitchen.

"Is that _bacon?" _she said in surprise.

At the kitchen island, Katherine and Emily were working together on something food-related. There was even a tablet propped up between them with a recipe on display. Both cooks looked up when JJ entered the room.

"You _are_ smelling bacon." Katherine informed her. "I just had to send Olivia and Henry on their way with a piece each because they were 'hanging around,' but failing to be discreet. Will asked me if I had anything to contribute to soup night."

"Which you obviously do. I guess you did some grocery shopping, then?"

"Mhm. Arranged before us is the ingredients for my deep dish pizza bites."

"And how did Emily get involved?" JJ pressed.

"I just showed up." Emily said cheerfully. "Jayje, we need muffin tins and cooking spray. Where are those kept?"

"The tins are in the bottom cupboard beside the stove, and the cooking spray is in the cupboard just above that. What happens next?"

"This is your sister's show, not mine." Emily said as she fetched the items.

"Kit, what _does_ happen next?" JJ asked the younger woman.

"Emily helps me pour the batter into each part." she indicated three large mixing bowls. "It's just going to take awhile. After _that _comes the actual baking."

"I can't wait to see how it all turns out. Who taught you your way around the kitchen?"

"Philemon, mostly. He broadened my horizons. I want to pass what I know to Olivia and the baby."

"That's lovely."

Katherine gave a nod, but fixed her big sister with a scrutinizing expression. "You want something."

"And you're sharp." JJ remarked. "Are Clifford and Hannah back on speaking terms?"

"I don't know." Katherine said without much concern. "Why are you asking?"

"Because Clifford called me while I was at work. He asked me out to dinner."

Katherine had quite the response to this. Though it was very much an accident, the wire whisk she had been using suddenly snapped clean in half. Saying that she was filled with tension was an understatement.

"I'm sorry, Jenny!" she squeaked.

"It's okay." JJ relieved her of the broken tool. "That old thing has been unreliable for ages."

Emily came to Katherine's rescue, pulling the cooking materials towards herself. "I'll take over. Your sister wants to talk to you."

So Katherine turned an interested eye on JJ. "Yes?"

"What would cause you to feel so much tension that it would manifest in one of my cooking tools breaking?"

"In this case, it's because of a memorable time he took _me_ to dinner, and the conversation that followed."

"I smell a doozy. What the hell did Clifford say?"

Katherine sneered, "I was already engaged to Philemon, but then dad had the audacity to ask me if I thought I was doing the right thing with choosing to marry a soldier."

"Ouch. And what was your answer to that?"

"I said yes, of course." Katherine huffed. "I knew exactly what I was getting into when I accepted Phi's marriage proposal. I was _ready_ for the decades of the long haul. I really was. Did our father ever serve?"

JJ shook her head after thinking about it. "Not to my knowledge. I have, but I'm not allowed to say any more than that."

"Why am I not surprised by that?"

Emily set her mixing bowl down and said, "I've also been to war, but not in the same fashion as JJ has. Unfortunately..."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "It's all classified?"

"Gold star for Katherine."

She sighed heavily. "My life is never going to be quiet again."

JJ winked at her. "That's practically the family motto by now."

"There should also be something about baptism by fire. All I'm saying is that you should be careful when you talk about what you do for a living, alright? Clifford can sometimes be tactless."

JJ bobbed her head. "Message received."

She then watched as they finished their cooking project and set everything in the oven to bake.

"What does Clifford like talking about?" she asked haltingly.

Katherine could tell that JJ had been thinking about this question for awhile, so she gave her a serious answer. "He likes talking about all things math, animals, and he forever has childhood anecdotes. You probably heard those before… How's this—he _does _love everything there is about football."

JJ perked up. "I played soccer in high school, but I've always loved watching football, too."

"Then that's that. Are you going to tell dad anything about Henry and Michael?"

"I feel that should, but I still don't know when I him to properly meet them. My feelings are scrambled about that matter." JJ shrugged. "Em, what do you think?"

She had been privately thinking of her upcoming outing with Virginia and Zion just then. Startled, she scrambled wildly for something to say.

"I think you should do what feels right. He's _your_ dad, Jennifer."

"That's inescapable." JJ sighed for what she felt was the umpteenth time. "Having him back all of a sudden is a huge adjustment."

"It totally is. Even Clifford would understand you wanting to take baby steps, and I will be more than happy to set him straight if he doesn't."

"Thanks. Hey, do you think Fitzhugh would mind if I called him? It would be nice to talk to a dad who's _normal." _

Emily grinned. "Actually, he would love that. I bet he'd find a way to cheer you up."

JJ felt even better now. "Then _that_ is that."

Emily's only response was a vague hum. Her mind was back on the Rainers again.

She came back down to earth when she was met with JJ's and Katherine's near-identical expressions of amusement. _"__What?"_

JJ smirked. "You were thinking about Ginny and Zion, weren't you?"

Katherine giggled before Emily could answer. "Jenny, she's turning red."

This was very true. Emily was behaving like a child caught with one hand in the cookie jar.

She coughed. "And so what if I am?"

JJ relented. "I just think that it's really sweet. Seeing you happy makes _me_ happy."

"Aww, thanks."

They hugged.

Katherine watched the duo and wondered briefly if they had been married in another life.

"Are you seeing Ginny and Zion again soon?" she asked Emily.

"Yes—on Saturday morning!"

"And Jenny will be seeing dad on Saturday _night."_

"So?" JJ interjected nervously. "What's your point?"

"Oh, nothing." came the tone in a singsong reply. "It just means I'll be hanging out with Will—that's _plenty _of time to pry out silly stories."

JJ groaned. "Oh, God."

"Will _is_ a great storyteller..." Emily remarked.

JJ's mood changed on the turn of a dime as a memory popped into her head. "Don't think _you're _home safe, princess. He also has tales about _you."_

"That's just great." Emily felt her own sense of trepidation. "Don't tell me he remembers the Absinthe Incident."

"And just _how_ you think Will came across the information of what you dressed like in high school?"

Emily held her head in her hands as she leaned against the counter. _"Why..."_

"Just be grateful that he's tight-lipped, Emelise."

"That's a small victory. Did I tell him anything _else_ that night?"

JJ laughed softly. "Why would I give it all away _now?"_

Emily just groaned again.

Katherine continued to watch Emily and JJ's banter. She was quite amused, and pleased that they were distracted for the time being. Life in this family really was _never_ quiet.

But that was perfectly alright with her.


	32. Chapter 32

Finally, Saturday.

This usually meant sleeping in for Emily. Usually. Since being aware of her pregnancy, it seemed that the baby took extra measures to remind Emily of their presence. This routine included morning sickness. What a bummer.

So, within minutes of waking up, Emily found herself sitting cross-legged on her bed and rest her hands on her middle. She even practiced calming breaths.

"Come on, kid." Emily murmured. "You are _not_ going to mess with me. _Not_ today."

After a few more minutes of practiced calm, Emily felt her child settle. She was grateful. While she did love being pregnant, the last thing she wanted was any added drama to her nerves about the event happening in a few hours' time. Hanging out with Virginia and Zion. Her family.

"Morning, Aunt Emmy!" Michael trilled sweetly when Emily finally arrived for breakfast.

"Good morning, baby boy." she greeted him. "How are you?"

Michael just blew her a kiss and then indicated the empty seat beside him. He hugged Emily when she took the spot.

"Unbelievable." JJ said as she, Will, and Katherine emerged from the kitchen carrying in everything they needed for breakfast. "Michael has been squawking at anybody who has tried to sit there. It just turns out that he was just waiting for you."

Emily was kept from responding when Olivia chose this moment to skirt around the adults' legs to grab the empty space where Michael wasn't.

"Hi, Aunt Emmy." Olivia said cutely.

"Good morning, little cat." Emily wrapped one arm around the toddler. "How's it shakin'?"

Olivia leaned into her. "It's shakin' _way_ good."

"Excellent. You ready for breakfast?"

"Yep!"

Emily turned to Michael. "What about you?"

Michael gave a vigorous nod. "Food, please!"

Emily looked then to both LaMontagnes and Katherine. All three were staring, agog. Both of the toddlers were under some spell that of Emily's. Ten minutes prior, the kids had been very fussy. Now they were being perfectly polite. It was bizarre.

"How on earth did you do that?" Katherine asked as she sat across the table from them.

"Do what?" Emily asked innocently.

"Charm a pair of somewhat cantankerous toddlers this early on a Saturday morning. Olivia was taking a page out of Michael's book while you were still upstairs."

JJ snickered as she took her place at the far end of the table. "Oh, Kit. Emily has a number of hidden qualities. Being magnetic to kids of all ages is one of them."

"Definitely true." agreed Will as he sat at the other end of the table. "Michael has worshipped Emily for his entire life. So has Henry."

"Incredible." Katherine looked around, eyebrow furrowed. "Where _is_ my first nephew?"

Her words had hardly left her mouth when they all heard a creak on the stairs. Everyone turned as one to see Henry as he walked in. Startled to have so much attention on him, he stopped in his tracks.

"What's everyone looking at me for?" Henry said with uncertainty.

"We were just wondering where you are, is all." JJ answered him. "What kept you this morning? You're usually the first person down for breakfast."

Curiously, the boy turned red. "I was thinking about Valentine's Day. There's a person I want to make something for..."

"You mean Zara King?"

"Mom!" Henry stomped a foot in protest. "Come on!"

Emily playfully admonished JJ. "Leave him be!"

Will also came to Henry's rescue. "Son, please go sit with one of your aunts."

Henry opted for a spot on Michael's other side.

The adults exchanged amused looks with each other. In spite of Katherine having plenty of room by her, Henry, Michael, and Olivia had each decided on their own to sit with Emily. She was clearly the most popular person under the LaMontagne roof.

This truth dawned Emily her as everyone began to tuck into their food, and Michael and Olivia asked her for help with various things. She hoped this luck would carry over for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Will you remind me what you're going to do?"

Much like an actual baby sister, JJ was hanging out in Emily's bedroom, watching her get ready for her outing.

"Go to the U.S. Botanic Garden for awhile, and then out to lunch." Emily finished applying her makeup before slipping on a cardigan over her blouse and brushing wrinkles out of her pants. "I _do_ need your help with something. Put your mom hat on."

"It's never off. What are you thinking?"

"I want to treat Ginny and Zion to lunch after, but I can't think of a place that would appeal to a kid. What do you have in your arsenal?"

JJ thought about it. "There's a place out that way on G Street called Farmhouse Diner. Michael digs it because it's very kid-friendly."

"Farmhouse Diner on G Street." Emily echoed, retaining the vital information. "Got it."

JJ watched her finish getting ready. She even watched her dress for the cold. Emily was very nervous. But it was oddly endearing.

"Take a breath." JJ coached. "Are you meeting them there?"

Emily nodded. "But I can't find my purse..."

JJ found it on a nearby bench and held it out. "Here you go."

Emily blushed when she realized it had been under her nose and took it. "Thanks, Jayje. Do I look alright?"

"You look perfect." JJ gave Emily a hug and then beamed at her. "Go have a good time."

"Thanks, again. See you later."

With one last hug, Emily departed for the garage, where her car was parked.

JJ closed the door behind her. All at once, however, she was filled with an impending sense of dread.

The only thing now on her mind was her dinner date with Clifford that evening.

So as to perish the thought, she did her best to imagine how things would go for Emily.

* * *

When she arrived at the U.S. Botanical Garden, it was to find that she had beaten Virginia and Zion there. But she didn't have long to wait for them.

"Hey, Emily!"

She had a small start because she hadn't noticed Virginia pull up in her car, turn it off, or open the door. Keeping her cool had been had been her main thought just then.

Emily strolled over. "Hi, Ace! How are you?"

Virginia opened the door and turned to face her, but promptly assumed a guilty expression. "I'm doing really great... for the most part."

"Oh? Is there something wrong?"

"I'm having another bad leg day, but worse than what it has been. You'll be seeing a new side of me."

"And I am happy to learn. We'll also move at whatever pace you think is best." Emily said. "I respect all of your wishes to be independent, but please consider me at your beck and call. For anything."

Virginia's heart lightened a considerable deal. "I love you."

Emily kissed her. _"I _love _you. _Tell me what you need right now."

"I'm going to pop the trunk because I need to get our things, but can you get Zion and help him?"

"Sure."

While Virginia set about her task, Emily opened the left side passenger door. Zion was extremely excited to see her.

"Hi, Emmy!" the little boy waved to her from his carseat. "Hi!"

"Good morning, little bird! I'm so happy to see you!" Emily tickled Zion's cheek. "Mama's busy, so I'm going to help you get out and put on your jacket, alright? Does that sound like a good idea to you?"

Zion immediately stopped arching his back in his attempt to be free of his carseat. "Yes, Emmy!"

It wasn't lost on Emily that taking care of a child was going to be in her future. Zion was practice. And very patient.

"Emmy?" Zion tugged on Emily's jacket, once she had bundled him up and grabbed his backpack. "Emmy?"

She scooped him up. "Yes?"

Zion offered her his best smile. "You make me happy."

Emily's heart did a cartwheel of surprise, but she hugged Zion close. _"You_ make _me_ happy."

Zion sank into Emily's hold. To any passerby, they looked like mother and son, having a cuddle. But it was in truth a moment of trust-building.

Virginia really was having a bad leg day. She was in a wheelchair now, and even wearing hand gloves that would allow her to have better traction on her wheels when it came to maneuvering them to steer. Emily even spotted various bags and pouches attached for storage. It was clear that Virginia was ready for a day out.

"Tell me what you think." Virginia said shyly. "I sometimes tire out easily, even though I can walk. This is one of those days."

"Are you alright? To hang out?"

Virginia nodded. "Yes. I just wanted to get in front of it before it could get any worse."

"That's a good idea." Emily eyed Virginia's wheels again. "I think your chair is very sharp. Is it made of aluminum?"

"Good eye." Virginia pointed to a bag on the back of her chair. "Will you hand me Zy's backpack? It's got a change of clothes and snacks inside."

Emily relinquished her hold, and watched as Virginia fit it in with ease.

"Wow." she remarked. "Is that a bottomless carpet bag?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Backup of all sorts is always necessary. That's why I have all the storage here." Virginia pointed to a large pouch secured to her left wheel. "Your purse will fit there. Mine in a pouch on the other wheel."

"You think of everything." Emily put her bag away and secured it. "And the weight doesn't bother you?"

Virginia shook her head. "My legs might be questionable, but my upper body strength is pretty great. I'll be fine."

Reassured, Emily picked Zion up (he had been complaining about being cold) and let Virginia go first towards the building. Time for an adventure.

Not until they were a little while ways down the path of a large indoor garden did Virginia pull Emily aside for a moment. Zion was nearby, sniffing a bush of roses.

Virginia looked up at Emily with concern. "You look like your thoughts are somewhere else. Do you want to share?"

Emily stuck her hands in her pockets. "When I left the house, JJ was in a bit of a state. She's having dinner with her dad later tonight."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Therein lies the rub. Until our most recent case, he had been gone from her life altogether since she was eleven."

"Meaning now that JJ is totally jittery." Virginia realized.

"Yes, but," Emily relaxed her posture and gave her girlfriend a kiss. "I'm here with you know, Ace. That's a promise."

"Thank you." Virginia patted Emily's free hand. "Is anyone in your family allergic to cats? I dreamt last night that we came over for dinner, but it didn't go to well."

"No one is allergic, that I know of."

"Good. That means there won't be any any problems when we _do _get around to meeting them."

"Speaking of which, when d—"

Emily's inquiry was disrupted cut off by Zion sidling up to them in a very adorable manner. "Mama, Emmy? Is it time to keep going?"

Virginia nodded and prepared herself to steer her chair again. "Yes, it is."

Emily motioned for Zion to turn around and go forward. "Lead on, little bird."

So Zion happily led the expedition, with Virginia and Emily following close behind.

The trio encountered something at the end of the pathway that made them stop. A fork in the road. While one way led to another garden, the other led to a small building set against the far wall. It was large and made of concrete. Atop it was a glass dome. Trees could be seen poking overhead. A sign above the entrance read 'AVIARY' in giant green letters.

Right on cue, Virginia shivered.

Zion was different.

Holding on to Emily's hand, he pointed up at the sign. "What's that word up there?"

"It says aviary." she told him.

"That's a fancy word…" Zion mused.

"Can you guess what it means?"

He came up with a blank. "I don't know, Emmy."

She tapped Zion's ears. "Concentrate. Tell me what you hear."

Zion listened with all his might before brightening.

"Birds!" he cried excitedly. "I hear birds!"

"Very good!" Emily praised. "Aviary means that birds live in there!"

Zion's eyes widened as he took this in. "Mama doesn't like birds. Do you?"

Emily bobbed her head. "Yes."

"Can we go in?" Zion swung his hand in Emily's. "Please?"

"I think that's a question for mama." Emily answered him.

Zion caught her drift and turned to Virginia. "Please can I go into the a-very with Emmy, mama? Please?"

"Yes, but mind your p's and q's. Can you do that?"

Zion gave a serious nod. "Yes, mama."

"Then go have some fun with Emmy. Tell me about the birds." Virginia ruffled Zion's hair. "I'll be by the door when you come back out."

"Okay. I love you."

"Right back at you, Zy."

He grinned broader than ever and continued to swing his hand in Emily's again.

She realized with a jolt that she had just been trusted to be alone with Zion for more than five minutes. The aviary probably wouldn't even be that long. But her little companion didn't know that. He just saw this as time to hang out with a new friend. In his eyes, Emily was nothing short of amazing.

"You'll do great." Virginia said when she sensed Emily's apprehension. "Just have some fun with Zy, and indulge him in what he wants. That _does_ include stuffed animals. I'll be waiting by the outside exit."

"Alright. See you in awhile."

Virginia acknowledged this and watch as Emily then gave all her attention to Zion. It didn't take long for the two of them to fall into their own world.

When Virginia found her waiting spot, she set up camp. Her fingers were also crossed that Emily and Zion would be awhile. The brief interlude would allow her to do something very important.

She fished her phone out from her pocket, unlocked it, and prepared a text message.

_We made a friend whom I would love for you to meet, _she sent.

The response was very fast. _How lovely. When?_


	33. Chapter 33

JJ had been right about the Farmhouse Diner. It was indeed very kid-friendly and family-oriented. The decor, as suggested, showed a theme that made it seem as if one had just set foot in a farmhouse. It was also themed in a way that wouldn't be too over-the-top for adults, either. So the setting was very nice for a casual date. And Zion was completely enthralled by everything.

But then he became a tad fidgety after awhile.

So Emily pushed her dirty dishes to the side and spoke to him. "What are you thinking?"

Zion giggled nervously. "I… I have a question."

"Fire away. I love when you ask me things."

"Please will you come over for Val— Vals—"

Zion struggled to say the word, so he used his fingers to form a heart.

Emily arched an eyebrow of suppressed amusement. "Zy, are you trying to say Valentine's Day?"

"Uh-huh! Will you?"

Virginia filled in the blanks. "If you aren't busy then, would you like to come over for dinner?"

Emily nodded, remembering JJ's prediction about February fourteenth, before speaking to Zion again.

"I would _love_ to come over."

Zion did a double fist-pump. "Yes!"

Emily looked to Virginia for a second time. "Been sitting on that one for awhile, have we?"

"Only since yesterday." she admitted. "Zion came up with the idea on his own. I'll have to think of something fun for us to make together."

"Oh?" Emily said curiously. "Is Valentine's Day usually a big deal for you?"

"No, but this is the first year that Zion will be old enough to enjoy the major holidays. Do _you_ do something special for that day?"

Emily's heart jumped as she was all of a sudden hit with an old memory. Back when Ian Doyle had believed her to Lauren Reynolds, he had proposed to her on February fourteenth. She'd been whisked away by Interpol exactly three hundred and sixty-five days later.

"No." Emily finally said. "Valentine's Day is usually just another day at the office or out in the field. This year will be different."

Virginia just nodded because she had seen Emily go somewhere during that infinitesimal pause.

But she didn't press the matter. "It definitely will. Emily, while you and Zion w—"

Virginia had been about to inform her girlfriend of whom she had been texting earlier, but became distracted when Zion started squirming again. His actions were universal.

"Zion," Virginia said in exasperation. "Do you have to go potty?"

He just nodded. Virginia repositioned her chair so she could steer it.

"Come on." she motioned for Zion to move. "Down you get. Hot-foot it."

"I'll be right here when you get back." Emily called to the Rainers' retreating backs.

While they were gone, the waitress came by to collect all their dirty dishes. Everyone had finished their food. Emily however declined the tab. A dessert menu by the window had caught her eye. Perhaps to her company would want to stay. The waitress understood and busied herself with carrying her now-full tray back to the kitchen.

And thoughts of dessert gave Emily something to think about, other than the fact that Virginia had been on the verge of saying something important. She'd have to ask her during a video call after Zion was in bed.

Her choice of dessert had just been decided upon when—

"I'm all better, Emmy!"

She looked up to see Zion clambering back on to the chair. Virginia took her own spot beside him.

"I'm glad, little bird."

He just beamed at her and then took to staring at the traffic on the street.

_"Is_ everything all better?" Emily asked Virginia for confirmation.

"Shipshape, and Bristol fashion." Virginia swept a hand over the table. "I see the waitress came by?"

"Correct. Do you think that you and Zion will be able to stay for dessert?"

Virginia turned to Zion, tapping him on the shoulder. "Are you you having a good time?"

He nodded as he turned to face her. "This is the best day _ever!"_

"I totally agree. There's one last thing that could be the cherry on top, but the choice is yours now."

Zion's eyes widened. _"Really?"_

"Mhm. What do you think about getting dessert with Emmy?"

Zion laid his hands flat on the table in an attempt to contain himself. "Yes, please!"

When the waitress finally took the trio's orders, she complimented them on how beautiful their family was. Virginia was caught off-guard. Emily, on the other hand, was quick to take it in stride and thank her. They were a family. Even if the universe had pressed fast forward on their lives.

But Emily loved everything about that. So did Virginia.

* * *

Later that night, it was JJ's turn to get ready for a big outing. And to offer moral support.

But there soon came a moment where Emily was just watching without saying much of anything. This meant that she had something deep on her mind.

JJ called her out. "Emelise, you are awfully quiet."

"I've just been thinking." she watched as JJ finished her makeup and moved on to doing her hair.

"Do tell, please."

Emily sighed because her question felt silly. "When did you first know that you were in love with Will?"

And luckily, JJ didn't bat an eyelash. "The first time he bought me a drink."

Emily immediately fought back a laugh. "Obviously, this was during the case where we met him, but I don't think I've heard this tale before."

"It was maybe the first or second day that we were in New Orleans." JJ recalled with ease. "Aaron told me to stick with Will, so that's what happened, and we set up camp."

"In a _bar, _though."

"Will's idea, not mine. It also led to the break we needed."

Emily put her hands on her hips. "I'm still waiting to hear how this led you to fall in love with him."

JJ cleared her throat. "Right. I asked him if he always drank while he was on the clock."

"And what did Will say?"

"That we were in New Orleans, and drinking like that was a culture thing. There was also a lot of heavy flirting."

Emily turned wry. _"There _it is."

JJ merely gave a shrug of the shoulders. "But yeah—Will had me the very first time we went to a bar."

"When did Will know that he was in love with _you?"_

"Forgive me for sounding cheesy, but he said that it was the first time he saw me… even if it _was_ at a crime scene."

"Wow. I know that you guys officially got together in Florida, but when was the first 'I love you'?"

"The second time I flew down to stay with him at his apartment, which was three weeks after Florida."

"Which means that the first time was about _two_ weeks after?"

JJ turned red. "There was a _lot_ of talking on the phone, and we each sent the other person a 'wish you were here' postcard. Neither of us were even trying for that. It was just a happy coincidence. I already knew by _that _point that he was the one for me. Getting his postcard confirmed it."

"Incredible…"

JJ let Emily be when she stopped to ruminate. She was clearly going through some very deep thinking.

"Okay." JJ said as she finished with her appearance a few minutes later. "I need your critique, but your head is in the clouds. Just talk."

Emily let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Ginny and I have said 'I love you' to each other. Already. I've been in love before, but things have never moved so fast. All of what's happening is a lot."

"I imagine so. Ginny has also known your parents practically forever by now. That's an unusual factor in her favor." JJ motioned to Emily's midsection. "That is yours."

"Don't we know it." Emily touched both hands to her middle. "And I guess Ginny being friends with my parents means that we get to skip that part of the 'getting to know you' process."

An old memory came back to JJ at these words. "Have I ever told you about what happened the first time that Will met my mom?"

"Nope. I am all ears."

"They went to a shooting range here together, and then out for drinks." JJ said with a straight poker face. "She also gave him a 'what are your intentions?' talk _because_ she's my mother. And she was curious about him. Will is my first and only true soulmate kind of love."

Emily smiled at the description, but then said, "And dare I ask what the shooting range was meant to do? Freak Will out?"

"Yes. Fortunately, Will is just behind me when comes to how great a shot is."

Emily kew that this claim was nothing to sneeze at because she had once witnessed JJ shoot a man in the forehead from behind a very thick glass door. "Well, okay. What about Sandy?"

"My mother grew up in the Deep South, and learned how to shoot a gun at a young age, also making her a crack shot. She's who I inherited my skills of perception and accuracy from." JJ studied her friend. "Is it alright if I ask _you_ a new question?"

"Of course. What is it?"

JJ looked her square in the eyes. "What does Ginny say about you meeting _her _family?"

"She says that they're going to love me."

"Does that make you happy?"

"More than I can say. It feels like I have to pinch myself. And sometimes I do."

"And do the pinches hurt?"

Emily finally laughed. "Yes."

"Have there been anything like red flags?"

Emily shook her head. "Not a-one. I've also been trying to ask her when she wants to meet you all, but funny things keep happening."

JJ winced in sympathy. "Such as?"

"This morning at the garden, it appeared that Zion had reached his limit with smelling the rosebushes." Emily said. "He is very patient. Polite, too. Zion actually asked if we could move on."

"Michael should take lessons from him. I have never seen a kid who hates rides in the car as much as him." JJ blanched briefly before continuing. "Do you have any idea of when you want us to meet Ginny and Zion?"

"Some time after Valentine's Day… God willing."

JJ was now the one impressed. "So you managed Valentine's Day plans, huh?"

"They tag-teamed in asking me over. I didn't hesitate to accept because I already knew that I wanted to see them again after today. Zion led, and I let him take his time because he was trying really hard."

"He sounds delightful." JJ motioned to Emily's middle again. "Does he know about the baby?"

"No." Emily said in dejection. "It just hasn't come up yet because of how things have been moving."

"Unorthodox, and out of order, but wonderfully so?"

"Yes. Ginny even loves it all as much as I do."

"Then that's that, isn't it? Sometimes life leads you to the ones you love in the most unusual ways."

Emily nodded in agreement. "And what career would Jennifer Alexandra have taken, had she not stumbled upon David Rossi's books on a rainy day?"

"I've always been really good at math. Up until then, I had seriously been considering a career in banking." JJ plucked a loose thread off her shirt. "Or the New York Stock Exchange."

"Could you imagine your life being on any other course than what it was right now?"

"Uh-uh, and no more than I'm sure you or Ginny could imagine your own story at the moment."

"That's another good point." Emily said in complete seriousness.

"You're also off to a great start." JJ said reprovingly. "It _is_ the story of Emily and Ginny. The two of you are the only ones who can figure it out. No one else."

"I didn't think about it that way." Emily said with a start. "But it it feels like a relief. Thanks a million."

"Any time."

Feeling very much herself again, Emily backed up so she could fully see the outfit that her friend had assembled.

JJ stood taller. "What do you think? I'm not trying too hard, am I? There's no time to change."

"You're not trying too hard at all." Emily reassured her. "Everything is just right."

"Thank _you."_

Tonight, JJ was wearing black dress pants, an emerald wrap blouse, and a black leather jacket. Her hair was even done in a wrapped ponytail that was very nice, but without being over the top. It also seemed that this rule of thumb applied to how she had applied her makeup. JJ had gone to what lengths she could to make sure that no outsiders looking in would get the wrong idea about hers and Clifford's meeting. That was the last thing she wanted. Or needed.

But JJ felt cool and collected. Badass.

Except…

Emily pointed at her friend's feet. "Uh, Jayje? Your feet are bare."

JJ wiggled her sockless toes. "The shoes I need are in storage. Could you please go send for Will? He's probably hanging out with everyone else."

Emily bowed herself out of the room.

Will was indeed with Katherine, Henry, Michael, and Olivia. He was more than happy to be tagged in so he could go help his wife.

"Okay, my cher." Will said as he walked into the main bedroom. "Emily told me that you told _her_ that the shoes you want are in storage. Both of _us_ know that you said it to get rid of her. What I can't believe is that it _worked."_

"Good old Saint Valentine hit her hard." JJ mimicked shooting a bow and arrow. "Messing with her is going to be fun."

Will rolled his eyes playfully. "What shoes _do_ you want to wear?"

JJ thought about it. "Will you please get my boots? The short black ones? Oh, and I also need socks."

Will nodded and retrieved the items from JJ's closet for her. It was plain that JJ was very nervous about what it was that she was about to do.

"How are the babies doing?" Will asked as JJ finally completed her appearance.

"They're cooperating with me for the time being. I will take that tiny victory."

Will rubbed JJ's back. "The _only_ think that you have to do is get through dinner with your old man. When you come home, we'll do whatever you want."

"Even if it's watching the first sappy movie we find on TV while you rub my feet?"

"Even then." Will kissed JJ on the forehead. "Even then."

JJ sighed happily. "Thanks, babe. I love you."

Will hugged her and then held her out at arm's length. "Now let's get you out the door."

With hugs from Henry, Michael, and Olivia, mixed in with wishes of good luck from Will, Emily, and Katherine, JJ finally left the house. It was off to The Forest Fiddler for dinner.

JJ just wished that she knew what to expect.

Not knowing scared her a little bit.

* * *

The Forest Fiddler was not so upscale a restaurant that JJ would have needed a nice dress, but it was just nice enough that there was a host at a podium in the front waiting area.

"Good evening, m'am." he greeted her as she drew level with him.

"Hello." JJ returned. "I'm meeting my father here."

The host perked up. "A man at one of the tables did say a little bit ago that he would be expecting his daughter. Is that him?"

He pointed to one of the tables in the dining room, just off to the side by one of the main windows. Clifford was there.

JJ nodded. "Yes. That is my father."

"Very well. Follow me."

JJ walked after the host, across the room to Clifford's table.

"Is there anything I can get you?" he asked as she sat down.

"Just water." JJ said politely. "Thank you."

"Very good, m'am."

The host excused himself.

"So what's going on, Clifford?" JJ asked him.

"You're really not going to call me dad?" he said.

"No. We've been through this." JJ said icily. "I don't believe that you want to have a regular conversation with me after all these years. What do you want? Are you ill?"

"What?" Clifford was taken aback. "No."

"Is it Hannah, August, or Katherine?"

"No. Each of them are fine. So is the baby."

JJ drummed her fingers on the table, paused long enough to accept her glass of water from a waiter, and went back to staring her father down.

"Are you back on speaking terms with Hannah then?"

Clifford sighed. "Not the best of ones."

JJ half-rose in her seat. "Give me a good reason before I get up all the way."

"It's about your mother."


	34. Chapter 34

A blank buzzing filled JJ's ears, and she sat down hard in her seat again. What was happening?

Fear also clutched at JJ's heart for that brief, wild second. _Was_ there something wrong with her mother? They had just seen each other so recently. She had seemed perfectly fine.

But…

Reason started to catch up with JJ.

Her parents were not friends. At all. Her mother wouldn't tell Clifford that she was having health issues. JJ was sure that during her parents' most recent interactions, they had been civil for her sake, but still... neither were so close that they would have shared such personal matters with each other.

Something was afoot.

"Wait a minute. Clifford, what the hell?"

"Don't curse at me!"

JJ hissed, "I'm an adult!"

Clifford relented. "The waitress is coming around. Choose an item from the menu."

"What—"

JJ was put off because she had been expecting her father to say something about her mother. Instead, she just fell silent at the look on Clifford's face. He already seemed like he would be unmoved.

"Fine. Pass me a menu._ Please." _

Clifford passed her a menu.

They sat together in stony silence as they decided on what they wanted to eat. Luckily, the waitress arrived at their table shortly thereafter. Clifford and JJ were perfectly polite with her. They went right back to being to being persnickety with each other.

"Then what _about _my mother?" JJ finally said. "She's _fine."_

Clifford challenged her. "And how do you know?"

"There was a long, long, long period after you abandoned us that mom and I just weren't close. Not even emotionally. I played soccer so I could get a scholarship to UPenn. Otherwise, I would have never left East Allegheny. There was even a recent reconciliation." JJ kept her hands in her lap to hide that they were curled up into fists. "Because of all that history, I know that mom wouldn't use you to deliver a message about herself. She would just call me."

If Clifford was at all sorry to hear about the rift his absence had caused between his wife and his daughter, he made no outward signs of display. All he wanted was to get through this meeting intact.

"Very impressive." he offered. "I always thought you'd do something math-related."

"Times change. Plot twists happen. Besides, you only knew me for eleven years. I grew up."

Clifford nodded. "You did, indeed. What exact 'plot twist' made you go the FBI route?"

"Stop avoiding the question." JJ said with a stab of irritation. _"__What about my mother?"_

"Has she told you about her version of events yet, surrounding the divorce?"

"Yes." JJ said crisply. "She told me when I was in the hospital."

"I see. What else did your mother tell you, then?"

JJ pulled no punches. "Well, she also talked about how you broke her heart."

_"I _broke _her_ heart?" Clifford scoffed. "If you want to carry on being mean to me, knock yourself out. Just don't say that I didn't warn you. How much of life at East Iron Hill Farm do you remember?"

"My first memory," JJ said after a pause. "Is from learning to ride Poppy horse."

"And how could you remember your mother's horse like that? You were two!"

"And? I _remember_ Poppy. She was all black, except for a white diamond shape in between her eyes. Those were brown. Like chocolate."

JJ's tone was so serious that Clifford believed that she was telling the truth about her long memory.

"Okay." Clifford sat back in his chair. "We always knew that we wanted to live out in the country after we got married. The animals were even your mother's idea because she grew up on a farm in Caldecott. Remember that?"

JJ bobbed her head as memories of going to her grandparents' Mississippi farm came back. "We both know the answer. Tell me what happened next."

Clifford decided not to hold anything back because he doubted JJ would ever tolerate him enough to have this kind of conversation again. "We could not—for the longest time—decide on when to become parents, even though it was high on our agenda. I guess that's when the real problems began."

"Oh." JJ said softly.

"Alexandra wanted to wait. If it had been up to me, we would have started having kids right away." Clifford absently traced the base of his wine glass. "She desired to experience life without kids first."

JJ tried not to sound too abashed when she spoke next—her own marriage had never been childless. "Did you two enjoy that time together?"

"Yes, because we really got things off the ground, where the animals were concerned. That was good because it was needed."

"But…?"

Clifford sighed. "It went on a little too long for my liking."

Before JJ could press him to elaborate, their food arrived. She had had never been more pleased for a distraction. And she found herself glad that she had ordered a light meal—it was increasingly obvious that this would all end in difficulty.

"How long is 'too long'?" JJ asked after they had been eating for a few minutes.

"Try a _decade._ You know as well as I do that your mother has an almighty stubborn streak." was the reply. "Alexandra would not bend in any way, whatsoever, for that first decade. It didn't take long for Rosaline to happen when she finally came around."

"That's good. I guess."

Clifford continued to play with his wine glass as a distant look overcame him. "Did you know that your mother and your sister both almost died in delivery?"

This information jarred JJ as she processed it. "No."

"It's true. There was a sudden last-minute complication that almost took them both. I had never been so scared in my life."

"So then what happened after. Obviously, mom and Roz recovered."

"They did." Clifford told her. "Unfortunately, the doctors went on to inform us that having any more kids would not be a good idea because the likelihood of another traumatic delivery was even higher."

JJ blanched as a new thought hit her. "Then what was I? An unwanted surprise?"

"You were most certainly a surprise. Never unwanted."

"But I guess I had an expiration date of eleven years in your book, huh?"

Clifford ignored this. "Things were perfectly fine with your birth. Zero complications of any sort. When you were a tad older, Alexandra decided that we should try to give you a playmate, anyway. She wanted you to have someone closer to your age than Rosaline was."

JJ spoke with some trepidation. "How did that go?"

"Also very long because we never agreed on anything definitive. I was hesitant because I didn't want to press our luck. Your mother wanted what she wanted, but she was also desperate to give you a brother."

JJ's heart did a loop of unpleasant surprise. "Really?"

"Mhm. Really."

"I will file all that away. I'm still waiting to hear how mom broke your heart."

Exasperated, Clifford lowered the forkful of food he had been about to eat. "Seriously? _That's_ your takeaway?"

"I don't know what to say." JJ shrugged. "A brother would have been amazing back then. I have August now, and I love him so much, but I was robbed of seeing him grow up. Whose fault was that?"

JJ was clearly pushing Clifford's buttons on purpose, but he would not rise to his daughter's taunts.

"Adamant was the word about your mother's mission." Clifford said as if nothing had happened. "I told her no, but not only because I didn't want to run the gambit of what happened when she had Rosaline. That was a bit much for her. Ask me what happened next."

JJ's impending sense of dread mounted even higher. "What happened next?"

"Alexandra threatened to leave _me."_

"What?! Why?!"

Clifford sighed for the umpteenth time since JJ's arrival. "I will admit that we were fighting about _all_ kinds of things by that point, so Alexandra's anger was justified, but it was the lowest blow she'd ever lobbed. She threatened to take you and your sister away from the farm altogether."

JJ repeated her previous inquiry. _"Why?"_

"Because your mother had become that fed up with me. I'll cop to that." Clifford said. "Alexandra was willing to leave East Iron Hill Farm, to start over."

"Even though she wanted a baby? She must have _really_ not liked you. And because you didn't fight any harder for me or my sister, you were seriously willing to let us go? Away from the foundation that had already been built?" JJ began thinking about literally leaving the conversation. "That's _really_ stand-up, Clifford. Were we not worth it?"

"Of _course_ you and your sister were worth it, but the main reason I always put my foot down about one more kid because I was worried that I would lose your mother. The refusal on her part to even try to see my reasons is what broke me. She also found reasons to fight me about any and every little thing. The environment was unbearable."

Clifford held his hand in the 'time-out' position. Something wasn't tracking.

"How are you so calm, Jennifer? This is beginning to freak me out. Your reaction, I mean."

JJ took on a tone of deadly calm. "It's my job to chase killers, and I can break them. I've actually done it in more ways than one on multiple occasions. The flip side is that you are not the first divorced parent I've spoke to before. I have seen it all because of what I do for a living."

Clifford studied his daughter. She was putting on a façade of some kind because she came to dinner already mad, but there was a chink in her armor. Cracks, too.

"Something happened to you before this last case." he observed. "It's all over your face now."

Without thinking, JJ touched the spot on her midriff where her electrocution burns were. The patch was extra ornery tonight because it was cold outside.

"My trauma is neither here nor there, although I can definitely say that it started on the say that you almost left without telling me good-bye." JJ sniped. "I know about the miscarriage because mom also told me about that, but what was the last straw for you? By mom's words, it was the beginning of the end. What about from _your_ perspective?"

"That's actually how I would also describe it." Clifford pushed back his plate. "We were both so stubborn that we all but canceled each other out."

JJ made a harrumphing noise. "You're forgetting a very important piece of the timeline."

"Rosaline."

"Yes. I loved my sister _so_ much. Did you know that she took it upon herself to take care of me when you and mom fought? All the times she did that are unfortunately some of the clearest memories I have left of her." JJ exhaled shakily. "To this day, I still have no earthly idea how I would have survived without Roz's love. It's like she kept me alive."

Clifford arched an eyebrow. "That's overselling it, don't you think?"

"No. She was the _only_ friend I had in those days because I was utterly sad all the time."

"You keep talking about how _I_ abandoned you, but so did your sister, didn't she?" Clifford steepled his fingers now. "Her depression became so much that _she_ didn't make out of that time alive."

"I, unlike you, hate to besmirch Roz's memory in any way," JJ sneered to cover up the ill feeling that had swept over her. "But I'll have you know that we solved the mystery of why she did what did."

"Who all is 'we,' snooping in our family business? Your team?"

"That's right."

"Well?" demanded Clifford after a beat. "Why _did_ your sister do it?"

JJ turned vindictive—it wasn't as if this conversation was at all salvageable. "You're going to have to earn it. After the way you've just spoken to me about your firstborn, I suddenly find myself hard-pressed to cooperate on that front."

Clifford finally dropped the last of his kind pretenses. "You're being impossible."

"Am I? Am I, really?" JJ began to gather he belongings. "Thank God I wasn't the one who skipped out on a big family meeting to go _gambling_ in_ Atlantic City!_ Oh, wait—that was you!"

"Nobody would have wanted me there."

JJ hissed at him once more. "It was an open invitation! Did you even try to consider? Or could you no longer be in the same room as your ex-wife since I wasn't in the hospital anymore?"

Clifford's full frustration was finally seeping through. "There are some things that you just wouldn't get because your marriage is picturesque."

JJ let out a hollow laugh as she was visited with memories of her fights with Will about work hours after leaving the Pentagon for the BAU, telling him about her miscarriage and the child's gender... and of course all of the aggressive PTSD she had fought.

"That shows what you know: I have more scars to my name from life than _you_ could understand." JJ stood with her things in her arms. "Are you back on _any_ sort of speaking terms with Hannah? I haven't forgotten what happened _there."_

"Not exactl—"

JJ held up a hand. "Ah-ah! I don't want to hear it!"

Clifford gave her a last-minute pitch of desperation. "I am your _father!"_

"Then why won't you act like it, and just start apologizing, huh? Your lost is already long: me, Hannah, Will, _and_ Emily! Why is this even hard?" JJ extracted enough money from her wallet to cover her meal and laid it on the table. "I really have to go home now. Please don't follow me."

JJ didn't wait for Clifford to say anything before turning on her heel and leaving the crowded, noisy dining room. Nobody paid her any attention.

So of course nobody noticed her go.

Save the host.

He approached JJ in the cold. She was already bundled up, and tucking her phone into her jacket pocket.

"M'am," the host addressed her. "Are you okay?"

JJ turned and offered him a smile, in spite of being in tears. "I am not okay. Thank you for asking, though. Dinner did not go well."

"I am so sorry. Can we call anyone for you? The police?"

JJ recognized that the young man was running through some sort of script that the restaurant employees were no doubt supposed to act on in questionable circumstances. But she let him off the hook.

"That's unnecessary. I appreciate it, and," JJ showed him her credentials from where they had been stowed in the front of her purse. "I'm actually FBI."

"Woah."

"I've already asked my husband to come pick me up." JJ nodded as she put her credentials back. "Thank you for coming to check on me. I appreciate that."

JJ pointed to the host's name tag, half-obscured in the dark.

"What's your name?"

"Henry, m'am."

Calm came over JJ when she heard this. "Henry is my eldest son's name. I'm going to put in a word with your manager about your kindness."

"Thank you, m'am." Henry said in delighted surprise. "You are very kind."

"So are you, Henry."

The young man elected to wait with JJ for a few more minutes.

"Is that your husband's car?"

Henry had spotted a car approaching the front of the restaurant. When the overhead light hit the front of the vehicle, JJ recognized it.

"Yes!" she told him. "Thank you!"

Henry waved good-bye to JJ as she got into Will's car, before heading back into the restaurant.

"Who was that, darling?" he asked as JJ closed the door and situated herself.

"The restaurant host. His name is Henry, and he kept me company." JJ sighed shakily. "He was concerned. I'm going to send his manager a kind word on his behalf."

Will did his best to put a positive spin on things. "Well, that's nice. He made that much of an impression?"

"I might also be partial to the name Henry. But I'm not sure about that."

She's making jokes; I'll take that as a good sign, Will thought.

"What do you need?" he asked his wife.

JJ's bottom lip wobbled as her deflection faded.

"Drive, Will. Anywhere. Please."


	35. Chapter 35

Will did his best to occupy himself after JJ left out dinner. Unfortunately, none of his distractions lasted long.

So he excused himself.

Emily gave her friend a few minutes before going to check on him. She found Will in the home theater. This part of the house was a sanctuary for him.

But he was just sitting in his armchair, staring at nothing.

Emily spoke with caution as she entered the room. "Hey, friend."

"Is this your way?" he asked with a soft laugh as he beckoned her in. "To come act as my conscience?"

"Well, JJ has an uncanny ability to drop from the ceiling when I need someone to talk to." Emily stood in from of him. "All of your quietness is about her now, huh?"

"Yes." Will admitted. "I'm also feeling really restless. What do I do?"

"How about you go for a drive to the store?" she suggested. "Get whatever JJ would want for a comfort food meal?"

"You know, that's a really a good idea." Will stood. "Thanks."

"Anything for you. Katherine and I can hold the fort down."

At this, Will checked his watch. "It's almost time for Michael to go to bed. Maybe I should stay..."

"Go clear your head." Emily said firmly. "Everything will be fine. We can handle your baby boy, and it's just a blessing that he _and_ Henry are low-maintenance."

Realizing that Emily would not be moved, Will folded. "Let me go tell the boys what's happening. I'll set out after that."

"Good man."

Emily watched from a distance as Will spoke to his children.

"Henry, Michael, will you come here for a second?" he asked.

They abandoned their activities and walked over to him.

"Are you going somewhere?" Henry asked, reading into his father's body language.

"Only to the store." answered Will. "There are some things I need to get for your mama. She'll be wanting them later."

Henry's own answer came with indifference because he found the answer satisfactory. "Oh. Okay."

"I'm glad you get it." Will spotted Michael and picked him up. "Do _you _get it?"

The little boy bobbed his head. "I can go?"

"Not this time, son."

"Hmph." Michael crossed his arms.

"Well, you already have your pajamas on." Will plucked at the sleeper Michael was wearing. "You would be sleeping before we even got there."

This concept tickled Michael greatly because he went from scowling to giggling very quickly.

Will hugged him. "You and your brother are going to hang out with your aunts and your cousin. Does that sound good?"

"Uh-huh!" Michael returned the hug and then yawned as he pushed at Will's chest with both hands. "Bye, daddy!"

As Will had one last round of good-byes and then took his leave, he noticed that Henry has his thinking face on. Maybe Emily could help him sort out his woes. That would be good.

Henry parked himself on the couch so could ruminate on his thoughts. Katherine was beside him, working on a knitting project. Olivia was watching her. It wouldn't be long before she fell asleep.

Emily sat on Henry's free side. "What's on your mind, nephew?"

He looked at her in concern. "Aunt Emily, is there something wrong? With my parents?"

"No problems. What makes you ask?"

"They both left the house." Henry elaborated. "It feels a little weird."

Katherine looked up from her knitting. "Your mother had a meeting she already agreed to, and then your dad had to go get some things he didn't get at the store last time. That's all it is."

"Are you sure?"

_"Very." _Katherine glanced at the other adult in the room. "Right, Emily?"

She nodded quickly. "That's right."

Henry's mood improved a tremendous deal. "Alright. I feel a lot better now."

"That makes me happy to hear, Henry." Emily checked on Michael to see that he had already fallen asleep. "I'm going to go put your brother to bed. Why don't you tell Aunt Katherine some happy things? I bet she'd like to hear."

As Emily left the room with Michael, Henry began telling Katherine all about a school project he was working on. It was even more of a step up from the sulky mood of moments before. Now he would have good dreams when he slept that night.

* * *

Will drove with no immediate destination in mind at first. Mostly because his thoughts had gone from JJ to June McCann.

Who was this woman? _Where_ was she? Was she even alive? Why couldn't he remember anything more about her? She had clearly been part of his parents lives at some point, which meant that she had to have known him. Or about him. So why did everything just come up as a blank?

And where was his mother? Who was _she? _Was _she_ alive? Perhaps there would be more clues in the book where he had found June's picture. _Paradise Lost. _Would she want to meet him? Why had she left? Had she realized the kind of life she would be condemning her son to? And where was she now?

Hopefully, they would get all the answers they were looking for.

Will prayed that his 'hopefully' would actually mean 'soon.'

* * *

The lieutenant's phone phone rang just as finished loading the groceries into his car. He was quick to get behind the steering wheel when he saw that JJ was calling.

"What's up?" Will asked his wife. "Dinner with your old man that bad?"

Sniffling reached his ears; JJ was crying. "It was _worse. _I had to walk out on him, and I've never done anything like that before. Am I bad?"

"No—not at all. Removing yourself was the perfect call."

JJ sniffled more. "Will, could you please come get me? My car is in the twenty-four hour lot across the street. I can get it in the morning."

"Okay. I'm already out of the house."

"What?" JJ furrowed her brow as she processed this. "Where are you?"

"Never mind that." Will said quickly. "I'm leaving now."

"Thank God. I can't wait to see you."

It felt like record timing in which Will made it to The Forest Fiddler. JJ was easy to spot because she was just outside of the restaurant with someone.

"Darling, who was that?" Will asked as JJ closed her door and buckled her seatbelt.

"The restaurant host. His name is Henry, and he kept me company while I waited for you. He was concerned." JJ wiped her tears. "I'm going to send the manager a kind word on his behalf."

"Well, that's nice. He made that much of an impression?"

JJ half-shrugged. "I might also be partial to the name Henry."

At this last part, Will felt a small ounce of relief that JJ could find it in herself to make even a tiny joke.

He kissed her. "What do you need?"

JJ's bottom lip trembled as her deflection faded.

"Just drive, Will. Anywhere." JJ leaned back in her seat. "Please."

"You got it."

JJ didn't speak until they pulled into the garage, and the door was closing behind them.

"My father is a grade-a jackass." she said bluntly before the rest of the story came pouring out.

Will turned off the car and faced her as his listened with mounting disbelief.

"Now I'm almost sorry that he's back in life. I really was better off without him." JJ said when she was done.

"I'm with you on that." Will finally said. "And I wish I could take the hurt away for you."

JJ heard his words and believed them, but she had already grown distracted. A memory had come back to her.

It didn't take Will too long to cotton on. "What are you thinking about?"

"A great many things flashed before my eyes when Clifford called things picturesque." JJ said sadly. "One particular instance comes to mind."

"The desert?"

"And the miscarriage."

Will felt his on stab of sadness. The loss of their lost child would never be the same for JJ as it would be for him, but he still thought about their angel from time to time. It also broke his heart whenever JJ spoke on this grief because he would never be able to fully comfort her the way he wanted to.

"I am so sorry, Jennifer. That's all I can say."

She shrugged again. "What if I _had_ called you to tell you about Maggie Rose? She would be here today."

"I do wish that you had called me about her, but I understand why it wasn't an option. Michael would have never happened if Maggie Rose was with us. Another kid, probably, but no Maggie Rose Charlotte LaMontagne. Imagine that."

"I can't." JJ said after a moment of trying to imagine her present without her youngest son.

"Good, because neither can I. Sometimes life just happens. Like it did to us." he kissed JJ again. "Without Michael, we wouldn't have paved the road to these two treasures."

Will had put one hand on JJ's midriff, right over the spot where the twins were growing. JJ covered Will's hand with both of hers. This time, she even offered him a genuinely happy smile.

"I certainly can't imagine life without our girls."

"What if we ended up with sons? Again?" Will said in amusement.

"Then I would go crazy. We're getting our baby_ girls." _JJ then caught sight of what was in the backseat. "Were you shopping? Is that what you were doing?"

"Yep. At a suggestion from Emily, I decided to go get you items for a comfort food meal. Those bags have everything we need for my turkey tetrazzini."

JJ beamed because this was her favorite thing to eat. "Wow, babe. Thanks a million. I'm especially pleased because I didn't get around to much eating."

"Let's go change that."

When they entered the house, they found Emily and Katherine playing a card game by the fireplace. Both of them rose to their feet.

Emily said to JJ, "I was just teaching your stepsister the fundamentals of Crazy Eights."

JJ tossed an amused look to the woman in question. "Kit, I will have you know that Em is the team's reigning Crazy Eights champ. We play a _lot_ of card games on the longer jet rides."

"I'll bet." Katherine gave her sister a puzzled once-over. "How are you here?"

"To say that dinner was awful is an understatement. Our father is awful. May I have a hug?"

Katherine happily followed through. She loved JJ and right then, she was the only other person in the world who could understand how sad she was.

"Are either of you doing anything else right now, other than playing cards?" JJ asked Emily and Katherine when the moment had passed.

"No." they chimed together.

"I already told Will what happened, but I need to tell you two at the same time. Repeating myself is not on my list of tasks for the rest of the night."

"So understandable." Emily said. "The kids are all sleeping now."

"We're all yours." added Katherine.

Will held up the grocery bags. "I'll go get started. There's enough in here for all of us to eat."

Emily and Katherine relocated their card game to the kitchen. Will followed them.

JJ proceeded to go upstairs.

* * *

When she returned in more comfortable clothes, it was to find the kitchen to be a small hub of activity. Will was in the midst of cooking. Emily and Katherine were at the kitchen island. They had moved on from Crazy Eights and now appeared to be playing Rummy. Quiet piano music drifted through the air from the kitchen speaker. Soft rain hit the windows outside. It was warm in the house. All the people in front of her were content.

"How are you feeling?" Emily asked JJ as she sat down on the last barstool.

"Super thankful for family." JJ said. "I'm also ready to talk about what happened, but I need you three to promise me something."

"Name it." the other three said together.

"Besides my mother, I'm only going to share this with one other person. Please don't tell _anyone_ else. Not even August."

"My lips are sealed." Will said first.

"And mine." Emily seconded, already having a distinct feeling about who that 'other person' was.

"You can also count on my lips being sealed." Katherine confirmed. "Take it away."

So JJ recounted the events of her rollercoaster-like evening once more. Emily and Katherine were both unsure of what to say by the end. Everything they had just been told was incredible—but not in a good way.

"What a giant mess." Emily remarked. "How can we help?"

"Will you circle the wagons if Clifford comes back around?"

"The moment he arrives. No questions asked."

"I appreciate that." JJ traced a design on the cloth placemat in front of her. "All the notions I had of introducing the boys to Clifford now seem foolish."

Emily pursed her lips. "I wouldn't go _that_ far. Maybe we should just shove this whole thing for a little while. Work on it another time?"

"Like when?" JJ wanted to know.

"Hopefully before the twins come."

JJ framed her middle with her hands. "That would be cool, but I also told Clifford that he needs to start apologizing to me, Will, you, and Hannah. I'm just not going to hold my breath because it'll probably be awhile."

"That would be correct."

The agents and the lieutenant jumped. Katherine had spoken for the first time since JJ's update. She was not happy.

"What makes you say that?" Emily pressed.

"It took my father_ six months_ to apologize to _me_ after asking if I really wanted to marry someone in the service." Katherine huffed. "We weren't even living in the country by then."

"Then fingers crossed it doesn't come to a level so drastic." JJ said. "Any suggestions?"

"Don't rush Clifford. He is ridiculously stubborn."

"Just like my mom." groaned JJ. "That's great."

"It's the only advice I've got." Katherine said sheepishly. "And I'm sorry that he was awful."

"None of it was your fault, but thank you for saying that. Is there anything else you can think of?"

"I'm afraid not." Katherine smiled. "Thank you for including me."

"You're my sister." JJ said simply. "I love you."

Katherine smiled at her. "I love you, too."

Emily watched them. As she did, she let her thoughts drift as she briefly entertained the thought of what would have happened if any of her life choices had changed at any point in her life. Even Virginia and Zion wouldn't have crossed her path.

"Hey, Space Cadet." JJ waved a hand in front of Emily's face. "You in there?"

"I'm fine." Emily reassured the other three. "I was have having another 'what if' train of thought."

JJ shuddered. "Not a rabbit hole I want to go down tonight."

Will studied Emily. "But you're also thinking about something else. I can see it."

Katherine gave a nod of agreement. "I'm with them."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Even my thoughts aren't safe with you three around. I was also thinking of Ginny and her boy."

"Hey, when _are_ we going to meet them?" Katherine blurted. "Inquiring minds need to know."

"Well, I keep trying to ask her that, and I think she's trying to ask me, but we keep getting interrupted."

"That's a bummer. Do you at least have any Valentine's Day plans?"

"Hanging out with them at their place, and having dinner together."

Katherine grinned. "That sounds like fun. I hope you guys will finally get the question out of the way."

"My fingers are crossed for that."

JJ spoke up, although on something unrelated to the topic. "Do you two really think I should let the sleeping dogs lie for now?"

"Yes!" Emily and Katherine said together.

"Well, that's that." JJ glanced over at Will. "And what do you think?"

His answer was very straightforward. "I'm happy if you are, Jennifer."

"Then that really is that." JJ pointed to Will's cooking handiwork. "Need any help?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I have this under control."

When the food was ready, JJ, Will, Emily, and Katherine ate together. It was nice to hang out with some sort of looming peril overhead. They could just be people. A family.

Katherine retired to bed after helping to clear up the dishes. Pregnancy wore her out easily.

Still, Emily and the LaMontagnes remained. It was yet a little early. JJ and Emily could also see that Will was deep in thought, once more.

"What?" Will said in surprise when saw JJ and Emily watching him with crossed arms.

"You're still sitting on something." stated JJ.

"June." said Emily in a one-worded answer.

"Yes," Will confessed. "But earlier, I was also thinking about my mother."

Suddenly, Emily was a tad more talkative. "When? After you left?"

"Mhm. I really did go for a drive before I ended up at the store."

Emily made a humming sound, but said nothing.

JJ picked up the thread. "Any knew thoughts."

"Only one. It's kind of stupid."

"All three of us in this room are crime fighters, and nothing in this mystery is remotely stupid. Go on."

Will sighed. "Remember how I said June's photo was in my father's copy of _Paradise Lost_ when I found it? Well, what if there's another clue somewhere in the book?"

"It's worth a check, especially since it's your favorite book already."

"That's only because my dad read it often. He was also the kind of guy to write in the margins of books he liked." Will recalled. "I got my hands on a copy of my own because I wanted to see what the fuss was about."

"Then go for it." JJ told her husband.

Emily tacked on a musing of her own. "It's good and well that we've moved on from the drama surrounding Clifford for the time time being."

"But…?"

"Of all the books in the world, why would June's picture have been in a copy of _Paradise Lost? _I read it when I was fifteen. That story is about the creation of Eden—paradise—but highlighting how Adam and Eve lost their standing. They were exiled." Emily pointed out. "William Senior was definitely married. Right?"

"Yep." Will established. "He was married to my mother."

Emily chose his words carefully. "Don't shoot the messenger, but what if Senior was involved with June at some point?"

"That would be a hell of a plot twist. What if my mother left because that _was _the case?"

"I hope that wasn't it." Emily said sincerely. "Do you have more of your Louisiana things in the attic?"

"Yes, actually." Will replied.

"Let's look through them tomorrow."

"Then you two are going to have to do that without me." JJ told them. "I have a feeling that I'll be hanging out with Fitzhugh before the day is out."

"Seize the opportunity if it comes up. Seriously." Will told her. "One of us will set aside anything interesting for you to look at when you get back."

"That's a good idea. I like it."

"So do I." added Emily. "A small change of scenery before we go back to work will do you a lot of good."

Inspired, JJ stood taller. "I'll go run my laundry so I'll have something to wear tomorrow. Just in case."

She left the room.

When Will and Emily were alone, they turned to face each other. Things had fallen quiet very abruptly. Will was even antsy again.

"Talk to me." Emily told him. "What didn't you want to say in front of your wife? I don't have to be a profiler to see that there's _another_ thing on your plate."

"The mess with Clifford is winding down, but now the mystery with my mother is winding _up."_ Will shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I know that you and JJ are bonded in that weird, inexplicable, beautiful way."

"All one hundred percent true."

"If I have a moment of any sort where I spin out or just get some bad news, would you be my person and just be there for me?" Will sounded like a younger sibling making an appeal to an older one. "Please?"

"Without question. You're my brother." Emily said with compassion. "Are you afraid?"

"Afraid of what we could _find."_ Will emphasized. "This is only the calm before the storm."


	36. Chapter 36

Emily had given her father's number to JJ before they all retired for bed, so the next day—Sunday—she stole a moment alone to call him.

The Prentiss patriarch picked up quickly.

* * *

"Hello?" came a warm, curious voice.

"Fitzhugh, this is JJ." the blonde greeted him. "I got your number from Emily."

"Is there something the matter?"

"Not with her, no."

Fitzhugh realized where this was going. "Have you seen your father, then?"

"Yes. It was all a travesty." JJ admitted. "Are you busy today?"

"Not at all. Would you like to go somewhere to talk?"

JJ smiled. "I would really love that."

"Excellent. Let's just talk." Fitzhugh checked his watch. "It's just coming up on ten o'clock now. Will please meet me at The Pink Angel? Say twelve-thirty?"

"Alright. The Pink Angel at twelve thirty. See you then."

Fitzhugh echoed her words back. "See you then."

JJ felt much better after hanging up with Fitzhugh. Relieved. Fitzhugh hadn't even asked that many questions because he had heard just in JJ's tone that all she wanted was a companion. They were even going to lunch together.

"Jayje? You good?"

She had made it from a side room to the front of the house without thinking about it, and just as Emily was coming the main staircase.

"Yeah." JJ confirmed. "It's all good. I just called your father."

Emily perked up. "Oh, really? What did Fitzhugh say?"

"After I promised him there was nothing wrong with you—because he asked—he deduced that I'd seen Clifford."

"And what did you tell him?"

"The truth. Now he's invited me to meet him at The Pink Angel. He set the time for twelve-thirty." JJ said happily. "Fitzhugh said that we can just talk."

This made Emily even happier. "I've always been very close to my father because of his listening ear."

"Good. Then I'll find Will in a minute to tell him what's going on." JJ pointed to the phone in Emily's hand. "Who did _you_ just get off the phone with? Ginny?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." Emily informed her. "There's a possibility of me babysitting Zion in the near future because Ginny has a big meeting on the horizon."

"Did you tell her yes?"

"Mhm." Emily then heaved a sigh when she saw the look on JJ's face. "What? Don't think I don't know your expression of mischief."

"Should that babysitting actually come to pass, bring Zion here. This is your home." JJ kept a poker-straight face. "Tell Ginny that she and Zion will be expected to stay for dinner."

"Wow. You're seriously laying down the tracks, huh?"

JJ dropped her steely demeanor just as quickly. "Things are just a little too slow for my liking."

Before Emily could get so much as a word out, Michael dashed past, as he giggled like a maniac. The boy was also in just his diaper. Henry was running after him, in the midst of a lecture about he was was the one who should do the measurements in their experiments because he could actually read. Olivia was hot on her cousins' heels. Katherine could be seen at the other end of the hallway with her hands on her hips as she shook her head at what was unfolding. Will called his boys' names from somewhere upstairs. It sounded like something of a mess had been made.

JJ looked at her partner to see that she was at a loss for words. Everything had happened in very quick succession.

"I swear, it's _never_ like this here. What kind of element do you think Zion will add?"

"Hopefully a restorative balance."

"What makes you say tha—"

Henry's loud tone carried through the air as he yelled, "No! _I_ will get the animal crackers! You and Olivia stay put!"

Laughing, Emily headed towards the sound of Henry's voice. JJ headed upstairs to see what Will had found.

Life at the LaMontagne house was never dull.

* * *

The Pink Angel was a very quaint café that JJ had been frequenting for many years. Her earliest D.C. memories were filled of spending time at these tables, poring though Rossi's novels. It was also the first place she had brought Will to upon his officially moving to town. Today's adventure would bring new things to look back on in the years to come.

Fitzhugh was waiting for her at a table close to a fireplace on the side of the room. They would be cozy.

JJ greeted the man when she drew level with him. "Hi, Fitzhugh."

He helped her sit. "How are you?"

"Extremely sad because my father has ripped a hole in my heart all over again." JJ hung her jacket and purse on the back of her chair. "But… I didn't hit total despair because there were people waiting for me at home."

"One of whom was Emily. How many times has she kept you from bottoming out over the years?"

"I don't even know anymore, but for that, I include her in many important things."

Fitzhugh grinned as he resumed his own seat. "I love that Emelise has made that much of a difference in your life, and I want to talk to you about that, but we must address a practical matter first."

JJ picked up a menu. "Ordering food?"

"That, and the matter of me picking up the tab."

JJ's eyes widened in surprise. "You really don't have to."

"I insist." Fitzhugh countered with a gentle firmness. "Even if my only child wasn't fond of you like she is, I would still do it because you need at least one father in your life who looks out for you."

JJ was humbled on the spot. "Thank you very much."

Fitzhugh just beamed and then focused on his menu. Taking the cue, JJ did the same with her own.

"So," Fitzhugh said after their orders had been settled. "Just how close _are_ you to my daughter? Her mother and I enjoy hearing stories about what you two do during cases."

JJ turned a slight shade of red. "Em has been telling stories about me?"

"For as long as she has known you. Elizabeth and I have been keeping tabs on your life from afar this entire time."

"Emily is one of the greatest people I've ever known and care for in my life. I don't say things like that lightly. Sometimes the best blessings just fall out of the sky." a smile flitted across JJ's face as an old memory came back to her. "In a way, Emily fell on to my doorstep at work."

Fitzhugh furrowed his brow as he searched his own memory. "But wasn't the first person she met your tech guru? Penelope?"

"Yes, and I was her second."

"How's that? Emelise has never actually said."

JJ smiled more; speaking with Fitzhugh came very easily. "Then did you and Elizabeth ever find out about the paperwork mix-up?"

"We did. Emelise had to talk us down from pulling strings on her behalf because she was very determined to do it on her own."

"This trait still rings true today." JJ laughed. "We had just come back from a case, and Emily was exploring the BAU floor. She said it was because she was getting the lay of the land. I figured out that it was because had been waiting for our boss to have a free moment."

Fitzhugh pressed on. "What else did she say?"

"Emily said she had memorized the layout of the bullpen already, but had yet to speak with anyone on the team who had been out on the case. There was also a thinly-veiled involved."

"Please—do go on."

_"Then _Em somehow came up with a line about getting lost on her way back from the restroom. I knew this was untrue because the facilities are in the same area as the bullpen. Back in those days, I worked out of an office, away from that part of the floor."

"Sounds like she was fishing." Fitzhugh said. "That's always been a talent of hers, from the time she was a wee thing."

JJ smirked as she filed that information away for a rainy day. "There was also music playing because I was just trying to forget what we had seen."

"My daughter can sing, and she has always loved all kinds of music. Just what did she encounter you listening to?"

JJ turned red again. "Rage Against The Machine."

Fitzhugh gave a wave of dismissal. "That is _nothing_ to be embarassed by—especially considering that Emelise has seen them in concert many times."

"Wait, really?" JJ became very invested because she had a feeling that this wasn't information that Emily would share freely. "Who else has she seen?"

Fitzhugh indulged JJ. "In larger numbers? Metallica, Deftones, and Green Day. Suffice it to say that your best friend's goth phase was really _very_ long. What were _you_ like as a child?"

"Quiet and bookish, except for when my sister would egg me on with silliness… or when I hung out with our farm animals. One fun fact about me is that I grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania."

"That sounds really lovely. What were you like as a teenager, then?"

"Not as quiet, and _way_ more into music. Rage Against The Machine was my 'gateway band.' I had a musical awakening the first time I went to Burning Man."

Fitzhugh spoke in an understanding tone. "Such was the feeling Elizabeth and I had after Woodstock."

JJ was kept from asking what it had been like at such a historical event by the arrival of their food and drinks. Fitzhugh had gotten a pasta dish. JJ had opted for a BLT and fries. He had iced tea, she had lemonade. Everything looked very appetizing. The atmosphere between JJ and Fitzhugh was already warm, friendly. That all by itself was a much starker contrast compared to what it was like outside.

The duo continued pleasantries with each other as they ate, but at one point, Fitzhugh pushed his plate back. He was changing lanes now. A profiler he was not, but he could spot a sad person from a mile off.

"We still stand by what we said about looking out for you. Is there anything you need to get off your chest?"

"Yes," JJ pushed back her own plate. "But it's about everything I went through last night."

"Please try me. I've always been told that I'm a great listener."

So JJ told Fitzhugh the story, and he listened without interruption. The sympathy he felt for her was all over his face. Her words were breaking his heart. And JJ wasn't even his child.

"What do you think?" she asked hopefully when she had finished.

"I think that it was quite a ride, and that nobody deserves this. Nobody." Fitzhugh said seriously. "I'm so proud that you're still standing, and that you were able to walk away from Clifford. Even though it must have hurt."

"Do you mean that?"

"Yes, I do. I haven't seen you though any insane tribulations before, but because of Emelise's tales, Elizabeth and I have always been aware of your instinct for self-preservation."

"Huh." JJ said as she mulled over this last part. "I've never thought about it like that…"

Fitzhugh's next words were extremely affirming. "You just went though an extraordinary amount of insanity in a very small space of time, but here you are before me, telling me everything. I find that incredible."

JJ spoke very graciously. "Thanks, Fitzhugh."

"Of course." he returned. "Who else knows about what happened?"

"Just you, and because I call her, my mother..."

JJ's words trailed off into a humming sound.

"Yes?" Fitzhugh prompted.

"Emily is a vault with secrets, and not just because she's FBI. Or my boss." elaborated JJ. "Now I'm getting the same impression about you and secrets. Am I accurate?"

"One hundred percent on the nose." Fitzhugh tapped his. "What's the second part of your thought detour?"

JJ shifted in her chair. "Can _Elizabeth _be trusted with secrets?"

"Yes, she can. Being a secret-keeper goes well in hand with being an ambassador."

"Sounds about right." JJ murmured. "And does Emily tell you two things?"

"Often. We've always been close, but we've been closer than ever since she came back from the United Kingdom."

This was good enough for JJ. "Alright. Emily knows everything I've told you, so it's okay if you tell Elizabeth. I…"

But JJ's words trailed off again.

Fitzhugh's patience didn't falter once. "What is it?"

JJ really wanted to tell Fitzhugh about the quest concerning Will's mother and June, but held her tongue on the matter. She wasn't the executor in that area. Instead, she chose to delve a little deeper into her soul.

"The next part of what I'm going to say might sound like I'm being overdramatic."

"Jennifer, I write best-selling crime novels, and my wife is an ambassador." Fitzhugh said without missing a beat. "Emelise is your partner in an elite FBI division. Any word with 'drama' in it is well-ingrained into our lifestyle by now."

JJ still chose her words carefully. "There is a certain path I've set down on with Will and Emily now. I don't want to say what it is, but it comes with an ill feeling."

"Such as?"

JJ shifted in her seat again. "Like there's a storm coming."

To Fitzhugh's credit, he didn't laugh. Or even challenge her. He just took her at her word.

"Dare I ask what sort of storm?" he finally said after a few moments.

"The kind where we already know that we can't go back, and because it's _us, _trouble will _definitely_ show up. I'm just worried what it will do to everyone I love."

Fitzhugh's next words were said out of a fatherly love. "The Prentiss house will always be a safe haven to you or anyone around you who needs it. Elizabeth and I will do everything in our power to help or protect. That's a promise."

"Pardon me for repeating myself again, but thank you." JJ let out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. "I don't even know if any of it will happen. All of this could just be my imagination running away with me…"

"You have a family to protect, and you are an FBI agent in the nation's capital." Fitzhugh pointed out. "I think that you are entitled to _some_ leeway."

JJ bobbed her head in still more thanks as she pulled her food back towards herself. "I needed to hear that. Maybe I just needed some validation from an outside party."

Fitzhugh pulled his own meal within eating range again but privately wondered what JJ had meant by those last two words. "Then I'm pleased that I could help. You can always tell me whatever you want, whenever you need."

"I'll remember that." quipped JJ. "However, now have a _fun_ question."

Fitzhugh sat up straighter. "I am _all_ ears."

"How did you meet Ginny Lynn? I'm dying to know. Emily hasn't even asked her that yet."

"And you would remember because Emelise would have told you?"

JJ nodded. "Yep."

Amused, Fitzhugh began to tell the tale. JJ gave him her utmost attention.

* * *

Back at the LaMontagne house, Emily and Will were in the attic, looking through his old belongings from New Orleans. Michael was having his midday nap. Henry was entertaining himself in another part of the house. There would be no interruptions for awhile. Good fortune.

Will even had several boxes of old photo albums near him, so as to move them at a later date. He and JJ would look at them together. Perusing through old books with Emily was enough of a thrill for the time being.

"Wow." the dark-haired woman remarked as she set aside a copy of _The Invisible Man. _"You really read a lot when you were younger."

"A good story was always a nice distraction at the end of the day. The adventures helped me to forget about how messed up things were when my dad would drink." Will cleared his throat because he had no desire to wander off the path. "What about you? Tell me your favorite book."

Emily overlooked Will's redirection. "It's a tie between _The Great Gatsby, Fahrenheit 451, _and _For Whom The Bell Tolls."_

"Fantastic titles." Will handed his friend one particular novel from a stack in front of him. "Check this out."

Emily received from him a battered copy of _For Whom The Bell Tolls. _"And who did this belong to?"

Will didn't look up from examining a copy of _1984\. _"That belonged to my father. I was made to read it in school. It wasn't so enjoyable for me because we also did an extensive project on it afterword."

"Come to think of it, I also read this a long time ago." Emily mused. "But it might have been in Korean..."

Her words died when she saw what was written on the front page. Under the title.

_How little we know of what there is to know. I wish that I were going to live a long time instead of going to die today because I have learned much more about life in four days; more, I think than in all other time. I'd like to be an old man to really know. I wonder if you keep on learning or if there is only a certain amount each man can understand. I thought I knew so many things that I know nothing of. I wish there was more time. _

Under this was another message.

_See you around, W._

_—__J_

_February 1978_

Emily's heart skipped a beat.

Just on a whim, she shook the book's pages to see if anything would come loose.

It did.

Right out of the book, and into Emily's lap fell an old photograph.

This one was of the mysterious June McCann, and a man who could only be one person.

Will's father.


	37. Chapter 37

The photograph showed June with Senior. They were happy together. Cozy. He was even holding her close as they walked together on a beach. What did this mean?

Will was yet absorbed in his old memories, but it dawned on him all at once that Emily had been quiet for more than a few moments. This was quite concerning.

"Are you okay?" Will crossed the attic room and sat with his friend. "You've gone radio-silent."

Emily looked at him. "You were born in February of '77, right?"

"Mhm. I just celebrated my birthday on the sixth."

"And your mother was gone by the time you were two?"

"Near as I can figure." Will shrugged.

Emily murmured, "That photo of June was from the August of '76…"

Will's trepidation mounted. "What?"

"I found another link to June. And a picture."

"You did? I want to see."

She handed Will the book and the picture. He read what was written and examined the picture. His face took on an unreadable expression. It was as if he had retreated inside himself.

"Oh, my God…" he finally said.

"What's your first thought?" Emily asked him.

"I don't know what to believe, and I'm really trying to talk myself out of the possibility of June being my mother... but I'm starting to feel freaked out. They were _very_ cozy." Will pointed to the handwritten capital W in the line under the passage. "Being named after my father was a burden. Everyone expected me to live up to the bar he'd set."

"And I'm guessing that you didn't like being in his shadow."

"Gold star for Emily. I can't tell you how much I wished for a sibling back them, especially a sister. An addition in that house would have taken the pressure off me." Will felt a wave of sadness as she thought about what could have been. "Henry's name came about for him because it has a deep meaning, but we also wanted to break the cycle and to be his own person."

"Which he most certainly is." Emily's eyes flickered back to where Will was pointing. "Is there anything else on the page that's of significance to you?"

"I don't know if my my mother called my father Will or Bill, but when _I_ knew him, everyone called him Senior. We lived in a parish where everybody knew everybody." Will went on. "Everyone called me Junior by the time I moved up here to be JJ and Henry. Even tourists I was introduced to. I think it was a culture thing in effect."

Emily saw the dots being connected. "Which means that this copy of _For Whom The Bell Tolls _did belong to your father because he was close enough to June that she actually called him by his actual first initial. And an act like that is a sign of intimacy between two people."

"They're also holding each other in that picture. Do you see why I'm freaking out?"

"Yes, I do. This also means that June was absolutely in your life at some point in the early years." Emily pointed to the boxes of old picture albums. "Have you looked through those yet?"

Will shook his head. "No, but I haven't looked at them in forever. That's actually kind of an understatement. I'm going to look through them with JJ tonight."

"Okay." Emily said in a solid tone. "I think that this is a good place to press pause for now. At least until JJ comes back."

Will echoed her as they began to put the rest of the books back. "Okay."

And Emily left Will to his own devices while she went in search of Henry. They could play chess... and she could ask him how school was going. It had been awhile since they'd had that kind of chat.

* * *

By the time JJ returned home from The Pink Angel, she felt like a totally different person. Happy. Relieved. Unburdened.

"Well," Emily chirped when JJ joined her at the chess table in the living room. "You seem to be doing a lot better."

"I am. Fitzhugh really _is_ a great listener." JJ said. "It felt good to talk to him."

"That's great. I'm happy for you."

JJ heard Emily's words, but paused. Voicing her next train of thought would still put her and the rest of the conversation in a certain frame of mind. It was her hope that Emily didn't recoil.

Unsurprisingly, Emily was quick to pick up on her mood. "I take it that you and Fitzhugh talked about things?"

"Mhm. And I refrained from specifically naming June, bit I did tell Fitzhugh something else."

Emily leaned a little closer. "And what was it?"

"It was about the fact that we've embarked upon a certain road, and that I think a storm is coming."

"Those are heavy words to speak to an author of any sort. My father can also be a romantic. What did Fitzhugh say in return?"

Without missing a beat, JJ said, "Fitzhugh promised the West Priors house as a safe haven. He even vouched that he and your mother are both very good at keeping secrets. What?"

Emily couldn't hold back her own secret anymore. "When Will and I were looking at books in the attic, I actually found something about June."

"And…?" JJ pressed, on tenterhooks.

"I don't want to say." Emily shook her head. "Not without Will."

JJ sighed. She knew from experience that Emily was too stubborn when passionate about something. Clearly, she wasn't about to be moved on her current opinion any time soon. And JJ had learned over time not to fight this trait.

So she began rearranging the pieces on the chess board in front of them.

"What happened here?" JJ reset the time-keeping clock on the windowsill beside them. "Henry and I are the only ones here who regularly play chess. Then again... Will plays backgammon. Against himself. I've never been able to figure that out..."

Emily snickered. "Well, Henry and I just played chess and talked. It had been awhile since I spent some one-on-one time with him."

JJ smiled. "That's really sweet."

"Yes, but what _wasn't_ was that Henry cleaned my clock _very_ fast."

"Spence has been educating both of my sons in the major fundamentals of chess for their entire lives to date." JJ said coolly.

A small voice cut through the air suddenly. _"Chess!"_

Michael had wandered into the room. When he saw the full chess board, he ran over at once.

Emily was amused. "You like this game?"

"Yes." Michael said seriously as he climbed onto her lap. "Very a lot."

He surveyed the fully-set board. After a moment of careful thinking, he moved a particular piece and tapped a button on the chess clock to mark his move. Then he fixed his mother with an expectant look.

"Well, okay." JJ moved her own piece and catalogued her own move. "Let's do a round."

Michael nodded. "Yes, please."

Emily watched them play.

But she also found herself making a mental note to ask Virginia if Zion knew about the game of chess. Maybe she would bring her chess set over next tome.

And JJ? She just wanted to see what had been found.

* * *

Finally, the house was quiet again.

JJ pounced in irritation when she was sure that she, Will, and Emily weren't going to be interrupted again. "You two have been squirrelly since I came home from lunch. Go on. Out with it."

Will opened. "Emily found something a June-related smoking gun in the attic. She was definitely in my life, cher. We also think that I must have known her at some point. There just hasn't been any proof."

"Until now." Emily pointed to the picture.

Any frustration JJ felt evaporated all at once because she became so taken with what was being said. "Pardon? What on earth did Emily _find?"_

She pressed the copy of _For Whom The Bell Tolls _and the photograph into JJ's hands. "I found these. The picture of Senior and June was in the book."

"I don't even know what to say about the picture, other than that I feel worried." JJ said before she examined the book. _"This_ must have been Senior's favorite."

Emily laughed nervously. "And it's funny that you should say that. Look what's written in the front cover."

JJ's heart did a funny flip as she read the words. Why couldn't anything be quiet anymore? Her first thoughts past digesting the text was to comfort her husband.

"How are you?" she kissed Will. "Anything I can do?"

"Right now, 'freaked out' in the most accurate description of how I feel. I'm just more glad that I'm not alone." Will exhaled shakily. "Here's hoping that we can move to something concrete soon."

"I will take that optimism, even if it's just a sliver." JJ decided. "We'll talk to Penelope in the morning."

"Thank you. I'll take _that, _because we also did some startling math." Will tried not to blanch. "June was definitely associated with my father in the mid-seventies. Me? I was just around by default because I was a toddler. My mother was probably gone by the year after that picture was taken."

"I hate to say it, but if June isn't your mother, that picture at least shows that she and Senior _were_ having an affair."

"It's looking that way," Will said. "And it would certainly explain the quote June used about wishing for more time."

"Those words were like a devastating love letter good-bye." Emily said thoughtfully. "June really did care for him."

JJ continued on with her thoughts. "Just like _he _cared enough to keep a very nice photograph of her in a copy of _Paradise Lost. _I wonder..."

She found the book from where it had been set and carefully began turning pages for examination, since her father-in-law had been the type to make side notes in his novels.

Lo and behold—

_I sung of Chaos and Eternal Night,_

_Taught by the heav'nly Muse to the venture down_

_The dark descent, and up to rescend…_

"Are you kidding me?" JJ sputtered.

"What?" Emily and Will said together.

"Obviously, Senior cared very deeply for June, but he took her departure hard. I found another handwritten quote."

Will wanted to kick himself. "All the times I've looked through that book, anyway, and I never saw it."

"The words were on the back of the title page in pencil. _Light_ pencil." JJ told him. "I just took time to separate the title page from the table of contents. Old books can have paper that sticks over time."

Doing her best not to grimace, Emily asked, "And what did Senior pen?"

JJ passed the book to her so she could see. Emily read the words and gave the item to Will, who also read the words. And then sighed. The next thing that he was going to say was yet another take on the situation.

"I always thought that my parents decided to split because of them broke the other person's heart. What if he broke my mother's heart, but _June_ broke _his?"_ Will proposed. "It sounds like he loved her even more in her absence. Almost desperately."

"I wonder why she had to go…" Emily mused.

JJ sounded like she was thinking aloud. "We still don't have a definitive answer about if there even was an affair."

Emily turned to Will as a thought popped into her head. "Have you any notes in _Paradise Lost_ yet? You said you were going to look through it."

"All I saw was ramblings about creation and the Garden Of Eden. That's weird all by itself because my dad had never been to church in his life." Will was a little stumped. "Other than that, nothing."

"Alright. I was wondering if Penelope will be able to discern something out of the quote JJ found or our of the picture of Senior and June."

Will stopped to process this. "I bet she will... and that isn't a bad thought. Penelope would just want something to narrow down the parameters a little more."

"Yeah." Emily's shoulder's gave a sag of disappointment. "There isn't much to work with right now."

JJ also sounded a little dejected. "Spence would have seen the missing piece already..."

"That hasn't escaped me." Will gave JJ's hand a squeeze. "That hasn't escaped my thoughts. I want to see if Penelope can find anything first. We can reconvene after to talk about bringing the others in."

"I like the sound of that." Emily affirmed as JJ nodded in agreement. "And it's better than absolutely nothing."

"Definitely. So at least we have a start." said Will.

"And the BAU still has a little bit of 'bench time' left," JJ said thoughtfully. "Meaning that that allows more time to do some poking around."

Emily felt confident as she watched the LaMontagnes perk back up. "So at least there's also _that. _I guess all we can do now is to wait for whatever tomorrow brings."

* * *

JJ and Emily carpooled to work together as usual. It was their new normal.

But the ride was quiet today. They were both consumed by their own thoughts.

JJ was preparing to tell the rest of the team about the babies. She just had to get in the right headspace first. All Emily could think about was telling the rest of the team about what she had been through... and that Andrew had no doubt left for England. Her life was officially in a new chapter now.

The partners remained oblivious to the rest of the activity in the bullpen.

So what happened next was almost funny.

While not a morning person before her first cup of coffee, Penelope Grace Garcia was incredibly loyal and steadfast to a fault. Everybody knew this about her. So it was these qualities that led her to making a conscious effort to come into work early. It was all about digging into June McCann. She wasn't even that frustrated that they didn't have that much to go on.

What Penelope hadn't been expecting, just over an hour into the search, was a hit.

She left her office very quickly.

It was just her luck that she found who she was looking for, making their hot drinks in the kitchen area.

"Boss ladies!" she said in greeting.

Emily and JJ reacted to her sudden appearance by almost jumping out of their skins.

"Woah!" Emily said in surprise.

"Penelope!" bleated JJ as she only just managed to keep from spilling tea over the counter. "It isn't even _ten_ yet!"

With a tremendous amount of effort, Penelope did not laugh at either of them. "I just got a hit on June!"


	38. Chapter 38

JJ and Emily both stared.

Penelope was known for delivering out-of-the blue updates, but they hardly ever came this early in the day. Not even when they were on a case. This was going to be another roller coaster.

"A hit?" JJ parroted. "On June?"

Emily pressed, "Well? What is it?"

Penelope beckoned for them to follow. "Come see."

They promptly followed Penelope out of the bullpen and to her office. It was back it's usual operating level of organized chaos than it had been the last time they had last seen it. This meant that Penelope would be able to focus.

"Okay." she pointed to a picture on her screen. "This is present-day June McCann."

And Penelope enlarged the picture to let her companion have a good look. June was older here, and it was plain to see that she had ben a head-turner (in the best of ways) when she was younger. Her face was kind. Warm, even. Her eyes were a deep hazel shade that in some way looked like they had seen more than most people do in a lifetime. Where had she been? June's blond hair, now greying in some places, had even been styled in a way that both kept it out of her eyes and suited her aura of kindness. And her smile... one could get lost in it with great ease.

Emily gave Penelope a pat on the shoulder. "So she's alive. Please talk to us about her."

Penelope called up the basic information report. "She's in her sixties now, and is actually in the fair state of Maryland."

"What? Where?"

"Silver Spring." This quaint town was only a half-hour away from them.

Penelope and Emily both looked over to JJ. The ball was back in her court. All _she _knew was that her stomach had just completed a rather unpleasant loop. The last thing she had been expecting to hear abut June McCann was that she was relatively nearby.

JJ cleared her throat. "How long has June been in Silver Spring? I thought that she would have stayed in Louisiana because of whatever kind of life she'd had with Senior, Hurricane Katrina be damned."

Penelope checked. "According to these records, June has been here since 2000. She moved up here to care for her parents because they were old and suffering from dementia. It took both of them by the end of 2002."

"Then where was she after she left Will's dad? Her departure was in the seventies."

"It looks like," Penelope scanned the screen again as she sped-read. "June was in a place called Springhill. Anyone heard of it?"

Emily shook her head. "Not me."

"I have." admitted JJ. "Springhill is way to the north, closer to Arkansas."

"Why do you know?"

The reply was very casual. "When Will and I were dating, we did a _lot_ of road trips. One was to see Rage Against The Machine. They were playing at a concert house just outside town. We stayed at a hotel _in_ Springhill."

Emily and Penelope gaped her. They knew all about their friends' unorthodox dating style, but even after all this time, JJ remained tight-lipped about some areas in that part of her life. Nithing had even come out on their girl nights. But it was news to both of them that JJ liked rock music in the vein of Rage Against The Machine.

She rolled her eyes. "What? I've liked that band since I was _fourteen. _My husband seriously digs Def Leppard, and even Joan Jett."

"You guys are so interesting…" Emily said in amusement.

"So says the lady who has not only seen _my_ favorite band, but also _Green Day _in concert?" JJ sassed. "Multiple times?"

"Hey! How do you know that?"

JJ smirked. "Fitzhugh talks."

"Maybe _too_ much…" Emily grumbled.

Penelope laughed at them. "I am staying out of this…"

JJ relented and brought the conversation back to the right lane. "So far, we know that June is in Silver Spring right now. Before that was the town of Springhill. I bet her place of birth _is_ New Orleans."

Penelope didn't even have to go back to the top of the report for this one. "You are totally correct. She _was _born there. It's one of the first things listed."

"Good. Are there any records of June having more family?"

"Yep. She's a mother to this man." Penelope called up a picture of an unassuming but pleasantly handsome gentleman. "He's called Chase McCann, and he works at a practice in Silver Spring."

"How old is he?"

"Thirty-nine."

JJ tried not to blanch as she began working out a certain arithmetic problem. "When was Chase McCan born? Early eighties?"

"Gold star for JJ. His birthday was on January second." Penelope continued to consult the screen. "His father is listed as one Arthur McCann… Oh, that's bad… This report goes on to say that he passed away from stage four neuroblastoma. June cut out of Springhill just six months later."

"That _is_ unfortunate." JJ sympathized. "All the same, I'm glad that Chase and my husband aren't brothers. I don't think Will would respond well."

Penelope sighed. "Now I want to call _my _brothers."

Emily just said nothing. She remembered Will's wistfulness when expressing the wish for his own sibling.

A subject change was due. "What area of Silver Spring does June reside in?"

Penelope hesitated before answering. "A place called Goodacre Knolls, but…"

She sighed again as a new message popped up. They were met with an image of a slightly mundane living care facility. A sign in the foreground bore the name 'SUNNYSIDE ACRES' in large peeling letters.

"That's a care home." said Emily in surprise. "Do the records list why she's there?"

"Yeah. Parkinson's. We've hit a dead end."

Emily shook her head. "Not exactly. JJ, Will, and I dug up more clues about June yesterday—including a photograph."

Now Penelope was feeling the surprise. "Oh? Just what part of the equation is _this?"_

_"That_ facet will be revealed at the ten o'clock meeting." Emily said cryptically. "It also turns out that Senior was well-read because in addition to _Paradise Lost_, we also found _For Whom The Bells Tolls._ We even learned that he wasn't the deep thinker in that relationship."

JJ handed Penelope the copy of _For Whom The Bell Tolls. _"Check out what June wrote on the inside cover."

Penelope found the quote and read it.

Then she looked back at her friends. "Is this real?"

JJ bobbed her head. "Oh, yes."

"Then _did_ June have an affair with Senior?"

"And we've arrived at the million dollar question." JJ told her. _"__This_ isn't a dead end. Luckily."

Penelope was totally drawn in, despite the early hour. "Go on."

JJ handed her the beach photograph. "Em found this."

"Oh, man." Penelope murmured as she took in what she was looking at. "And so the plot continues to thicken. I won't throw stones at anyone yet, but I have a bucket of them on standby. Just say the word."

"Your loyalty is appreciated. Never change."

Penelope winked at JJ. "So not an item on my agenda."

"You can scan that photograph into your systems like you did the other one. While you do that, listen to this."

JJ read her the other quote.

Her voice was very pleasant, but as she heard the words, Penelope felt very lulled and at ease… like she was about to wander off a path in favor of something very beautiful. It took her a moment to snap out of it.

"Wow." Penelope busied herself with returning the now-scanned photograph. "That was really, intense. Beautiful, too. It sounded like a love letter good-bye."

JJ carefully stored the beach photograph when Penelope gave it back to her. "Emily said the same thing, except she also called it devastating."

"Then Senior and June must have really loved each other. You don't wish for more time unless you really love the other person. I know that from firsthand experience." Penelope gave a shaky sigh as she had fleeting thoughts of her parents. "It also seems that June was quite young when this all went down—probably in her mid-twenties. I wonder if she had been significantly younger than Will's mother. Sometimes age can be an appeal that way."

"It certainly is with my dad and Hannah. Listen to this."

"Another quote?"

JJ nodded and read from a piece of paper,

_"'I sung of Chaos and Eternal Night,_

_Taught by the heav'nly Muse to the venture down_

_The dark descent, and up to rescend…'"_

Penelope shuddered. "Whose hand was that in?"

"Senior's." JJ handed handed her the paper. "Keep that. I copied it down from where it was written in _Paradise Lost."_

Penelope took the paper and set on her desk, poising her fingers on her keyboard. "And the passage about wishing for more time was also from that. Right?"

"Yes." JJ and Emily said together.

"Copy that…"

JJ and Emily watched as Penelope plugged keywords into her search engine, achieve the results needed, and then then store everything in a separate file folder—all in record timing. The speed was incredible. Penelope was amused when she saw her friends watching her in surprise.

"What good is an information hunt if I don't have place to put everything?" she chuckled. "I've saved everything you've shared so far, and a summary of the information about June into a private file folder that's already uploading to my personal cloud server."

"Smart." JJ praised.

"Is there anything else that either of you need?" Penelope asked her companions.

"We decided with Will that we would talk about including everyone else after we spoke with you today about the new clues." Emily informed her. "What do you think?"

Penelope was a little surprised that the buck stopped with her, in spite of having an equal say in the mystery solving. "I think we should get on that soon. Excluding Rossi, Spencer, Tara, Luke, and Matt feels wrong, especially now that we know all that we do."

JJ backed her up. "I was thinking the same thing."

"Then we're better united than divided. Our team always does extremely well, but we always do our utmost best when coloring outside the lines altogether."

Emily added, "We're back on the regular schedule next week. Unless God laughs and gives us _another_ plot twist."

Penelope felt that this was a deal-sealer. "I'm all in. Let's tell them everything at our briefing."

"I like your confidence. Will you prepare something on June, like you normally do for cases?"

Penelope nodded. "Absolutely."

"Good. Thank you."

Penelope bobbed her head in acknowledgement before turning to her other friend. "Jayje? How are you?"

"I'm excited, worried, and curious. The biggest outcome I want is for Will to at least have some closure." JJ exhaled noisily. "The resemblance between him and his father was there, but not immediately apparent. He must have inherited his mother's looks. I only know because we've been looking through old photo albums lately."

Half-joking, Penelope said, "What if we find Will's mom? Or she finds us?"

"Then we make sure that the LaMontagnes are sitting down." Emily said seriously. "It would be the least that we we could do."

Penelope sobered up. "Totally. Of course."

"Thank you."

JJ checked her watch. "PG, it's almost nine. Emily and I are going to leave you in peace."

"I understand."

When they went back to the lobby, JJ turned to her partner. "I have to go down to the mail room now."

"Because you need to dispatch that kind word about the restaurant host." Emily recalled. "Take your time."

So JJ exited.

Before Emily could do anything like even return to the bullpen, she found that her phone was ringing. A smile crossed her face at the sight of whose name was on her screen.

"Good morning, Ace." she said in greeting.

Virginia's voice was warm in her ear on the reply. "Good morning to you, too, beautiful. I figured that you're probably at work by now."

"That would be correct. I'm actually standing in the main lobby of my floor."

"Hm." Virginia mused. "So there _is_ another space that you occupy besides your office."

"Very funny. I guess you'll have to come see it some time."

"Sounds fun to me. I was also calling because I know the importance of what today is. How are you?"

"My heart is heavy, but not as heavy as I thought it would be, had I not already met you and Zion. The universe has been looking out for us in all kinds of ways."

"I should say so. How is the baby?"

Emily rested a hand in the small of her back as she felt her offspring perform small flips. "They're making like an acrobat just now. Did Zion do that when he was on the inside?"

Virginia chortled. "Saying yes would be an actual understatement. When he was bigger, he kicked and moved so much that I thought there were two babies in there. It was just one overeager baby prince."

"Amazing."

Virginia did her best to keep off memory lane. "Hey, does anyone on the team other than your partner know about the baby?"

"No." Emily confessed. "Actually, I'll be telling them today around ten. What do you think?"

Virginia's heart flipped. "I think it's a great idea, and that we really need to meet your team."

"It won't be hard to put that on our to-do list," Emily sighed. "But I so wish that I could see you and Zion tonight. Damn your social obligations."

In a conversation from the previous morning, one item that Virginia had relayed was that her publicist had pushed her into a party where she would be able to do some networking.

"The life and times of a best-selling author can seem so ridiculous, I know. Parties have never been my thing. Save me."

"I wish I could." Emily told her. "You'll just have to take me along to the next one so that I can keep you on your toes."

"And you're on." decided Virginia. "Anything interesting happening at the FBI?"

For one wild, fleeting second, Emily had thought of telling Virginia about the June McCann issue. Couples shared things with each other. And… Virginia was not a stranger to professional investigating. But Emily still stomped on these thoughts. It was too early for any more abstract thinking.

Virginia tried again. "Emily? Are you there?"

"Yes, Ace." she said quickly. "I was just thinking about something else for a second. Everything is all good. There isn't much happening over here, which is unusual because we're always on the go. Bench time has given all of us a strong case of cabin fever."

"Like the time that my sisters gave me the chicken pox—they were toddlers, and I was just trying to survive high school. All three of us were cooped up for ages. It was also dead winter."

"And why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Because you're beginning to get used to my crazy childhood anecdotes." Virginia checked the time on a nearby clock. "I have to go. There's a long day and night ahead of me."

"Keep your head up, my love." Emily said fondly.

"So long as you keep yours up." Virginia's tone matched hers. "I love you/"

Emily grinned. "I love you."

They hung up.

And Emily found herself sighing. There were only so many reports she could write, read, approve, or file before she ran out of things to do in an official capacity. Woe-betide if she had to resort to reading old case files. Again.

How to kill an hour?

She would think of something. Eventually.


	39. Chapter 39

Meanwhile, JJ finally made her way to the mail room, located in the bowels of the building. This area wasn't all that exciting. But JJ had history here.

A man at the main counter greeted her when she entered the mail room. "JJ! What brings you down here this morning?"

"Has the general mail been collected yet?" JJ asked.

"No." Lyle gave her a scrutinizing look. "You were one of us, once upon a time, and the morning collection time has literally never changed."

"Monday blues—what can I say?" JJ gave a nervous laugh. "I need to get something out in the mail, but I didn't make it to the mailbox. It's a full house right now."

"And it slipped your mind." Lyle deduced. "Forgetfulness can happen to the best of us. What do you have?"

JJ produced her letter, all ready to go. "This. It's going to an establishment in town."

Lyle took the envelope. "It isn't every day that people send personal notes anymore. Did you have a nice weekend?"

"Yes." JJ stood tall. "Saturday night was crummy, but Sunday more than made up for it because my family really came through for me."

"That's quite splendid." Lyle placed JJ's letter in the nearby box of outgoing mail. "Is there anything else you need?"

JJ shook her head. "Not today."

"Alright." Lyle said cheerfully. "Then I will see you around."

"See you around."

And with a parting wave, JJ left to go back upstairs.

But then she checked her watch. It was hardly ten minutes past nine. Hopefully she could find something to do until then.

* * *

'Politely puzzled' was the tone when the rest of the team joined Emily, JJ, and Penelope in the conference room at the top of the hour.

"What's going on?" Tara asked as they took their seats.

"There is no trouble, or crisis." JJ closed the door. "But we do need to talk."

Rossi turned to Penelope. "And I suppose you know about it? You are being super fidgety."

Penelope immediately sat still. "Consider me the second half of this gathering, sir. Our fearless leaders are the are the first act."

So one half of the room turned to the other.

Emily cleared her throat. "I'm well aware that I never talk about life when beyond the BAU, but thanks to recent events, there are some things that I do need to share. It all falls under the category of 'unavoidable.' There's no other way to explain it, other than to just level with all you."

"We're all ears." Rossi told her. "Go."

"For the past few months until recently, I was in a relationship with someone. We've called it quits now." Emily looked at them all; each person was giving her their utmost attention. "It doesn't matter who it is, but it's over because he accepted a reassignment without telling me."

"Where is it?" Spencer asked tentatively.

"In the United Kingdom. He's probably on the way there as we speak." Emily paused for a beat—she was already at the hardest part. "The whole reason I'm bringing this all up is because I've also just found out that I'm going to be a mom. Come summertime, all of you are going to have a niece or nephew from me to dote on."

Dead silence filled the room. Other than JJ, everyone was incredibly surprised. Emily's words were a lot to digest. While the woman was not cold or stoic, she really wasn't the type to openly broadcast what was going on in her non-BAU life. This was a lot to hear in one go. But it was all so wonderful.

Penelope hugged her friend as around them, everyone else began to chatter excitedly. "How exciting! Are you doing alright?"

Emily smiled and allowed herself to relax. "Yes. It's a lot to take in, but getting this response from you all makes the coping easier now."

"We're a family more than we are a team." Rossi said kindly.

"Totally true." Luke and Tara said together.

"That fact is my favorite thing about us." added Spencer.

"And mine." Matt chimed in. "Whatever you need, Emily, we're here for you."

Similar statements of agreement were made by everyone else around the table."

"Thank you, all." Emily said graciously. "I have some other news to share."

Spencer voiced his thoughts first. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"The apartment building where I lived was first tented for fumigation, and then twenty-four hours later, I learned that the place on the whole had been seized upon for foreclosure."

Luke wrinkled the bridge of his nose. "I'm so sorry—that's incredibly unfortunate. Where are you staying now?"

Emily finally perked back up. "I'm staying at the LaMontagne house."

The group response to this was for the others to turn to from her as one, look at JJ.

"What?" the blond said in amusement. "It's true. She moved in last week. My house is very full, but everyone is happy."

"That's really awesome." Spencer looked back to Emily. "If you're happy, then I'm happy for you."

Emily smiled at him. "Thank you, Spencer. That really means a lot."

Once again, everyone else expressed similar congratulatory thoughts. Emily's home-front announcements had run their course now. But JJ noticed that her partner hadn't said a word about her new love.

So JJ cleared her own throat and took charge. "When I was admitted for the panic attack, I learned that _I _am also expecting. Our cherry on top is that I'm carrying _twins. _To make things even more exciting, the rest my family and Emily already knew. So did Matt."

_"How?" _chorused Rossi, Penelope, Spencer, Tara, and Luke as one about the last part.

The man laughed. "I actually guessed."

Luke surveyed him with amusement. "When?"

"After the Dunn Loring case." Matt said casually. "I drove JJ because we live three blocks apart. Home life came up when we were talking during the ride, and I really did guess. Call it a twist of fate. I just happened to be perfectly on the nose."

"Wow..."

In a small whirlwind of noise and kind words, everyone gave more congratulations to JJ and Emily. The atmosphere was warm. Happy. It was a pleasant offset of the usual grim things discussed between these walls.

"Thank you so much for your kind words. It all means a lot." Emily said to the group at large when they had settled in their seats again. "We now need to get to the real heart of the matter. It's quite serious."

"Must be," Matt remarked. "Since JJ closed the door. That never happens."

JJ was now the one sighing. "We've stumbled upon something 'off-book.' Penelope has been in the know, but not for as long. There is one more party in the matter."

"Who?"

"It's Will." answered Emily. "This is actually about him. Uh... we've encountered a mystery about his past."

JJ took them helm again. "My husband's mother completely vanished from his life when he was about two years old. He doesn't remember anything about her. At all. Recently, though, he decided that he's going to try to find her."

"And _has _anything been found out?"

JJ opened the iPad in front of her. "Time to yield the floor to the tech guru."

Penelope stood beside her presentation monitor, trusty remote in hand.

So they each looked over to Penelope, once more, as she now came to stand beside her presentation monitor.

"Forty-one years ago this past week, the world was made a better place because the one and only William Isaac Jesse LaMontagne Junior was born in New Orleans." Penelope pressed a button on her remote, activating the man's police record photograph. "Our math says that Will's mother was around until at least 1979. The total bummer is that Hurricane Katrina took anything useful in the way of records. Will's father—Senior—died because he was hit with storm debris in his own house."

"Why was he even there and not at some place like the Superdome?" asked Matt.

"He had just discovered a very important clue about the case, and was too stubborn to leave." Spencer informed him.

Nodding, Penelope went on. "This is him in life."

And she called up a record picture of William Senior. He had ben very handsome. It was also easy to see that he had been Will's father. For good measure, there was also an image of his list of commendations.

Emily spoke again. "Accolades aside, the missing link here is Will's mother."

Luke interjected what he was thinking. "Pardon me for asking the obvious, but why not check Senior's marriage records for his wife's name?"

Penelope made a humming sound that told them she was frustrated. "Occasionally, sometimes things in this world are just easier said than done. This mystery is one such instance. I'm being laughed at by God or the universe because even though I can find those records, I ran into a hiccup. There is nothing there."

"Oh, no." said Luke. "In what way?"

At the head of the table, JJ was completely thrown by this revelation. "Excuse me?"

"What I mean," Penelope pressed the remote button for a third time and overlaying the service record pictures was an image of a marriage record. "Is that it's totally blank where the name of Senior's wife should be. I;ve never seen this before. Even when people end their marriages and put them on file, there's always a record of their former spouse. Not here."

Spencer mused, "It seems that the name has been scrubbed. That's a thing?"

Tara nodded as she thought of her own failed marriage. "Yes. I was given the option when I was divorcing Daryl, but I didn't go there."

"Why?"

"Mostly the price. I can't imagine what Will's father must have gone through to feel that it was a necessary measure." Tara looked across to JJ. "Has Will ever told you anything concrete about those years of his life?"

"No." JJ admitted. "Will remembers really random tidbits because we have old photo albums, but I've always had a feeling that he's blocking things out. My heart would break for him if there's more trauma besides being a child of divorce."

"Then we still don't know that much about this part of Senior's life." Penelope said. "We're almost at a dead end. Over this recent 'bench time,' Emily and the LaMontagnes discovered a clue in the form of one person. I give you June McCann."

"She's _incredibly_ beautiful." Tara observed when Penelope displayed the past and present photographs of June. "She was also _really_ young back then. Wow."

Rossi looked from Penelope, to JJ, to Emily, and back again. "What's her tale?"

JJ, Emily, and Penelope tag-teamed in explaining it.

The team was completely intrigued.

By the end, they were simply stunned into silence.

"Wow." Rossi murmured. "That's wild."

Matt nodded. "And that's just one word for it. 'Intense' is another."

JJ quickly looked to Spencer when she noticed that he had his thinking cap on. "What's going on up there?"

Spencer looked at her. "Is there _any_ indication of how old Will's mother was during this period?"

"Not that we've seen yet. The estimation we've made about _June_ is that she was in her early to mid-twenties."

"Hm..."

His words trailed off because he was doing some fast thinking.

"Cough it up." JJ told him.

Every other set of eyes in the room was on him now.

Spencer spoke again after a pause. "Every now and then through our work, we sometimes find that a determining factor during an affair can be age. Sometimes it really _is_ everything. What if June was the older woman in this power struggle?"

JJ shuddered. "Spencer, if age really _was_ the determining factor in this mess, then that means that Will's mother would have been a bit _younger."_

"Which is exactly what I've realized."

"I have seen pictures of my father-in-law. He was on the older side when he died. If his wife and June were both younger than him, he would have also been older back then. What if the original LaMontagnes got some unexpected news? And what if _that_ was what drove them apart?"

Penelope let out a soft, "Oh!"

"What is it?" JJ pressed.

"Well, what is one major plot twist in affair that causes one of half of a duo to sometimes just freak out?" she asked carefully.

Matt gave the answer first. "You mean a surprise child."

"Mhm."

Spencer contributed to the conversation again. "I've been reading ahead in the file, here. Has there been any indication that June had another child? Apart from the son he has now?"

Penelope shook her head. "Not that I've seen."

"But those photographs and book passages are very indicative of a close, intimate relationship." Spencer continued. "I would say that with what we've uncovered, there was absolutely an affair going on. Our only way to know for sure would be to ask June."

"She's off-limits." Emily and JJ said together.

"Yes, but if Will's mother _was_ the younger person, then a record scrub would make sense."

Tara spoke up again. "Spencer's right. What if Senior was hurt so badly that he was ashamed about it?"

JJ spoke in a tone of waxing a philosophical. "Will did say that he's always figured that Senior broke his own wife's heart, but that _June_ broke Senior's."

Matt seemed to be cottoning on. "But what if that actually _is_ true? Shame is a powerful motivator to act... or stay silent. A bad fallout from a secret between June and the original LaMontagnes could what drove things to the point of a divorce."

"And that very well could be." Spencer agreed as he recalled the secret surrounding the end of his parents' marriage. "But we're back at the 'what if' scenario surrounding a possible secret child."

Penelope checked the notes that she had on hand. "There is nothing that hints of even the possibility of June having another child at any point."

Emily voiced another sudden thought. "Then what if it was _Missus LaMontagne_ who had another child?"

JJ rubbed her temples. "I don't know where to take that."

"But it does make sense." Luke said to everyone at large. "It's a solid something that counts for a lot. Even if we don't know what it is."

Rossi backed him up. "Erasing all traces of a marriage and a divorce to cover up a secret child sounds like the actions of a man teetering on the brink of desperation."

Luke nodded. "They also sound like the actions of a man having an affair."

"Will's mother could have also left of her own volition." Emily noted. "If I was hurt that badly by a spouse, there's _no_ way that I would give them another chance."

Matt gave the conversation a slight re-direction. "We're all on some kind of roll right now. Hell, we could even be holding all the correct cards. I just have one big question."

"Please continue." Tara encouraged.

"If we _have_ gotten everything right, I want to know just what could have possessed Will's mother to leave him behind."

Nobody could think of an answer for this.

Emily spoke in a finality-type tone. "That's all we have right now."

"Mhm. And we wanted to let the rest of you in because it felt wrong to leave all of you out." JJ looked to Spencer. "How familiar are you with _Paradise Lost_ and _For Whom The Bell Tolls_? Be honest."

Spencer did his best to keep it simple. "They're on my top favorites list."

JJ offered him a smile. "Then take time to ruminate when you can, but there is one more thing of note."

"Do tell."

"Will said that his father never set foot in a church before, but we found that the margins of the _Paradise Lost_ copy were filled with religious ramblings."

"Hm." said Spencer. "That's really interesting. Senior had a _lot_ going on back then. All that's coming to me at the moment is that he must have taken all of this really hard because those quotes were in the end, the ultimate expressions of his and June's feelings towards each other. Plus..."

His words trailed off as he thought of how to phrase his next words.

"It's okay." JJ encouraged. "Tell us."

"First of all, this other person would be in their forties by now, and they would have been born into the turmoil. That's already a lot." Spencer said. "Second is _which _particular parts of the the text that have been recovered: if there _is_ an offspring, then it goes without saying that all the feelings in the air were more intense than originally thought. Age _can_ be a determining factor in the event of an affair. So can _passion." _

"That is a very keen observation."

"And a good one." Emily praised. "If any new thought hits you, come share it."

Spencer nodded in acknowledgment. "Understood."

"We've encountered a mystery, and if it takes awhile, I want us to get to the bottom of it. With Will. For Will." Emily stuck her hands in her pockets. "For family."

JJ looked at everyone around the table. "We appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for coming along on another adventure. Even if we are coloring so far out of the lines again that no one can find us."

"Of course." Rossi told her. "It's ride or die."

Penelope, Spencer, Luke, Matt, and Tara nodded in agreement. JJ was filled with an immense rush of gratitude. She also couldn't wait for her first free moment to share these updates with her husband.

"Then that's that." Emily told them said in a gentle but authoritative tone. "We still have paperwork and reports to get through. Let's just focus on that as our main priority. Dismissed."

The rest of the team filed out.

JJ exhaled noisily and framed the underside of her bump with her hands. "Whew. I'm extra glad that everything is on the table now—these kids of mine are growing fast."

"Do you think that you'd be able to cover it up much longer?" Emily asked her.

"I _know _that I wouldn't."

"Hey," Emily said comfortingly. "At least everybody knows what's going on. They're also in 'ride or die' mode."

JJ's gratitude grew. "They'd follow us to the bitter end if we asked them."

"Absolutely." Emily patted JJ's shoulder. "Off to my office. It's time to be FBI agents now."

And they spent the rest of their day back in reality.

Little did they know that the universe wasn't quite done with them just yet.


	40. Chapter 40

Friday happened on them all, rather abruptly. But that was alright.

Emily was pleased.

Friday meant Valentine's Day. Her evening would be all about dinner with Virginia and Zion. She spoke to them every day through video calls, but there was nothing quite like being with her family. Holding them. Enjoying their company. Loving them.

Only a day of work to get through, and then they could be together.

If only she knew exactly _what _the universe would have in store for her because of _this _particular Valentine's Day.

* * *

While not especially slick, the falling snow outside had already been coming down for the past thirty-six hours. Hard. Emily was also trying to ignore the chatter she'd heard about a possible incoming storm.

All she wanted was just a single normal day at the office. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently so.

Why? A wrench in the usual order of operations.

After only several hours of work, there came an order from the top floor. Every person had been given a 'tempered suggestion' to clear out. Staying longer would have made the journey home treacherous. Everybody needed time to get home safely.

There followed everyone on the sixth floor partaking in the mass exodus.

Minus one.

When JJ went to collect Emily, it was to find that she had made no move to pack up. She was actually still working.

And JJ was quite unsatisfied with her partner's answer about leaving.

"Are you _sure_ you have to stay?" she pressed. "You'll be the only one left at this rate because everyone is clearing out!"

Emily leaned back in her chair, sighing. "My paperwork is taking a little bit longer than I thought. Don't wait up for me. You really should go back to the house."

JJ repeated her inquiry. "Are you _sure?"_

"Positive." Emily checked the time. "I'll catch the next train shuttle in an hour."

Knowing that it was no use to argue against a stubborn Emily Prentiss, JJ relented. "Alright."

Emily smiled at her. "Please don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

She spoke so gently that JJ was convinced. "Okay, Em. See you when you get home."

Emily waved to her partner as she left.

When JJ had completely departed, Emily surveyed the bullpen. It had emptied fast. She was alone. This was an aspect of her job she did not enjoy.

Still... she could only concentrate on her paperwork for a few more minutes before the only thing she could think about was the bad weather. Intuition told Emily that trying to do anything extra like a date wouldn't be a clever idea. Hopefully, Virginia would be understanding about a raincheck.

So she called her.

"Hello, beautiful!" Virginia said merrily when she picked up.

"So there's been a bit of a situation over here." Emily began.

"They told you all to leave because of the weather forecast, huh? And everyone on your floor has gone? Except for you?"

"That's _exactly _what happened. Dinner will have to be postponed because the snow is increasing. I'm sorry, Ace."

Her only immediate response was a humming sound of thought. "We won't have to postpone anything. In fact, I know how to sweeten the pot."

"My building is three blocks from the train station, for a start. Where do JJ and her family live?"

"Capitol Hill."

Virginia made the humming sound again. "And that's even further from us. What would you say to dinner here, _and_ staying the night?"

Emily's heart flip-flopped. "Really?"

"Mhm. The spare bedroom is yours." Virginia said in complete seriousness. "I was actually going to call you about this, anyway. There's even a safe to put your gun away in. What's the situation on your go bag?"

Emily glanced at over it. She'd been keeping it stashed out of the way, since they hadn't travelled lately. However… the clothes inside were dirty. So were her boots. And her gun.

"My bag is here in my office, but my clothes are dirty. I also have to polish my boots and clean my weapon."

"I have the properties utilities and table space to help you achieve those chores." Virginia said thoughtfully. "Zion even has an early bed time. Are you in?"

"Yes." Emily checked her watch. "Long story short, I'm going to catch the train back into town. A shuttle will be along out front in a half-hour. See you in awhile."

Virginia echoed the words back. "See you in awhile. I love you."

Emily grinned. "I love you, too."

* * *

And she was at the train station before she knew it. The ride had felt much faster than the usual run. Emily had a time convincing herself that it was because she was on the way to see her family.

There was also just enough time to get flowers for Emily to get flowers for Virginia at a nearby flower shop. She already had Zion's present—a boxed set of books about Babar the elephant, and matching pajamas—tucked away in her purse. Arriving without gifts at the Rainer house on February fourteenth would be unwise.

Besides... she loved giving presents to her family.

After ordering a car and telling Virginia where she was, Emily sent a message to JJ.

_I'm on the road. But there's been a change in plans. _

JJ's answer was fast. _Yes?_

_Ginny upped the ante when I told her that we'd have to postpone because of the weather. She offered to keep the date. And to let me stay over. _

_Well, damn. I know you said yes. _

_Damn straight. I will see you when the weather clears up. Tell everyone else for me?_

_You bet. _

_Thanks, JJ. _

The snow started falling harder when she was buzzed into the Rainers' building. In a way, it tickled her that the exact scenario she'd joked about on hers and Virginia's first date—being trapped in the penthouse with Zion during a blizzard—was on the verge of becoming true. Absolutely nothing in their story was quiet. Or little.

Emily made it to the Rainers' front door very quickly after sending her bags up in the dumbwaiter.

Virginia opened it just as Emily finished putting her shoes away. She was dressed tonight in a dress of a spectacular pink shade, and her hair had been styled into a cute fashion. So had her makeup.

A lot of effort had gone into her appearance.

She was also leaning heavily on her crutches, but looking at Emily like she was the only other person in the universe.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" she greeted Emily as she entered the dwelling. "How are you?"

Emily kissed Virginia soundly. "I'm way better. Spending time with you and Zy tonight will be perfect. Also…"

With rather a flourish, Emily presented Virginia with a bouquet of purple lilacs.

"These are for you."

"Oh, thank you." Virginia took the flowers in hand and closed the front door behind them. "I've got flowers for you. First…"

She opened a safe door with a numbered keypad, just beside the coat rack. "This is yours now. I have another safe in my office. You can keep whatever you need to in here. I won't pry."

Emily smiled appreciatively at her. "Thanks, Ace."

"You're welcome." Virginia watched Emily stow her gun and related ware. "I believe in the right to bear arms. The reasons aren't even because of how or where I served, though. That's what everyone thinks. It's might even be because I was brought up by a young and very feisty southern belle in deep Mississippi..."

Noticing that Emily had closed the safe up again, Virginia hung her coat up for her. She needed a moment to recollect her thought train.

"But... whatever the reason may be, all I know is that I just haven't even been able to own a reason for myself since I was hurt."

"That is a very valid reason." Emily said candidly. "I completely respect it."

Virginia's heart bloomed. She loved that Emily was as open as she was to accepting the ideals she stood for. Had her one-and-done truly fallen out of the sky? She didn't know, so she settled just for gazing upon her.

Emily looked around. "And where is little bird?"

"Talking to the cat on my bed, last I saw."

Virginia called out in the direction of her bedroom.

"Zy! Please come out here!"

Zion appeared moments later, dashing towards them. He halted in his tracks when he reached the main entryway.

_"__Emmy?" _he gasped in awe.

"And how is my favorite little bird shaking tonight?" she asked him.

"Super good." there was a tinge of confusion on the edge of his tone. "I'm way happy that you're here."

Virginia shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she looked at her son. "Zion Fitzhugh, why are you confused? I can hear it. Emmy showing up should not be a surprise because you helped me to ask her over."

"I forgot?" Zion said cutely.

Virginia sighed, but changed lanes. "Guess what? Since the weather is yucky, Emmy is going to stay the night!"

A surprise of such epic proportions was far from what Zion had been expecting, and he was quick to voice his joy. "WOO HOO! THIS WILL BE THE BEST TIME _EVER!"_

He ran off again.

River slinked over in Zion's wake, making noise about wanting to be held. She was irresistible. And so soft. Emily obliged her at once. For this, she was rewarded with purrs. Loud ones.

Emily looked at Virginia with contentment. "Wow."

Virginia gave a nervous laugh. "We can have a proper date at some point—just the two of us—but what do you think?"

"I think," Emily kissed her. "That this is going to be a fantastic Valentine's night."

Before long, she, Virginia, and Zion were cooking a meal together. Just like a family.

* * *

Across town at the LaMontagne house, JJ was preoccupied.

She and Will were prepared for the crazy weather outside. They had been through enough storms and even blizzards to know exactly what precautions to take. Including having a backup generator installed, should they lose power like they did in the last blizzard. No need to repeat that memory.

The situation tonight was different: experiencing morning sickness at night. Whoever had declared that the sensation could only occur in the morning was insane. And most decidedly a man.

But at least had come down from the latest bout.

In the meantime, she was ever thankful for her anchor.

Will greeted his wife as he joined them on their bed. "Some Valentine's Day, huh, cher? Even last year was a hiccup."

JJ groaned. "The boys both come down with _chicken pox,_ and I catch their fever. I'm a badass FBI agent. How does this happen?"

"Hell if I know, cher. I would take it all away for you if I could."

"That's really sweet, babe." JJ said softly. "Thanks."

Will kissed JJ's brow. "Is your nausea down?"

"Yes." JJ held Will's hands in place against her middle. "And our baby princesses have not filed any complaints. I'm all for that kind of step in the right direction. How is the rest of the house?"

"Michael is asleep, Henry was drawing when I saw him a few minutes ago, and the Spellingses are watching the snow fall." Will recounted. "It looks like everyone is winding down for the night."

"Excellent. I love our family, but I would like at least _one_ drama-free moment for the day of love."

"Yes. And Emily is at Ginny's now, s—what?"

JJ had the expression a cat who had just eaten a savory canary. "I got a text Em a little while that said she's going to be staying with Ginny. Why don't you guess what Ginny did in return?"

Will's guess came easily. "I want to say that she upped the ante."

"Yes. That was Emily's exact wording."

Will was impressed. "We _seriously_ need to meet her. Any idea what she said?"

"Emily is going to be staying over at Ginny's place until the weather clears. And even August called me a little bit ago to report that he and his kin are safely at home." JJ said thoughtfully. "Our family is protected from the craziness outside."

Will just nodded.

His only thought just then was of doing something romantic with JJ. He wanted to make the most of what was left of their holiday night. JJ even seemed be feeling a lot better. Plus… she loved to be touched when they were alone.

Will's rambling thoughts about any possible love-making were jolted mere seconds later when a phone rang.

However… it wasn't his.

He pointed to his wife's phone. "Cher, that's yours."

"Oh." JJ picked it up and checked the screen. "Huh. It's Dave."

"Well? See what he wants."

JJ answered the call. "Hey, Dave. What's on your mind?"

"JJ, when was the last time you were part of a phone tree?" Rossi asked his friend.

"Never." JJ said after a moment of brain-wracking.

"Then tonight is going to be a first." Rossi informed JJ. "I just got an important call from the director. There is to be nobody in or out of Quantico until at least Wednesday morning."

JJ groaned. "That's _really_ going to mess up our schedule."

"You're not wrong. Everyone is being compensated with extra pay. Right now, the two of us just have to work on letting the rest of the team know."

JJ sat up straighter. "Who do you have to contact?"

Rossi consulted a written list in front of him. "Emily, Penelope, and Tara."

"Got it. Since you called me, that leaves me with getting hold of Matt and Spencer. Who made this list?"

"I have no idea. Will you give Emily a head's up since she's bunking at the LaMontagne house? That's why I called you first. And your last name is before hers in the alphabet."

"Emily isn't here." JJ said without thinking.

Will snickered when he realized the mistake that had been made.

Laughter tinkled in Rossi's tone. "And where _is_ your partner? In case you haven't noticed, Jennifer, there's a storm brewing outside."

JJ pinched the bridge of her nose when her gaffe caught up to her. "Emily's… uh… on a date, _at _her date's place. That's where she's going to be until things are better. Don't tell her I slipped. Please?"

"You have my word." Rossi promised. "I am extremely pleased, though, that she's already found someone to be happy with."

"So are we. The universe works in mysterious ways."

Rossi nodded even though JJ couldn't see him. "It sure does. Well, I'm glad I caught you tonight. I have a few more calls to make now."

"So do I. Good night, Dave."

They hung up.

JJ looked to her husband.

Will had a smirk on his face. "I won't tell if you don't. Did Dave call about a phone tree, or something?"

Primrose had already called Will as part of a precinct-wide phone tree about the weather and how it it would affect their job. They had also been given time to ride out what was coming.

JJ relayed Rossi's message to him.

"And here's hoping that next winter won't be so chaotic." JJ finished.

Will showed her his crossed fingers. "Let's just pray that nobody gets cabin fever _now."_

"As if. I doubt that things will be even relatively _close_ to 'the usual' for quite some time. We better batten down the hatches." JJ opened her saved contacts. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

And she began to make her calls.

* * *

Back at the Rainer place, dinner was in the oven and would be baking for awhile. This left plenty of time get a head start on making dessert. Cannoli was on the agenda.

Unfortunately, Zion was a little hung up. He just wasn't getting it.

"But there's also the word canoe." he was trying to reason with Virginia. "You ride those in the water..."

Virginia was doing everything she could to keep a straight face. "My boy, canoes are neither here nor there."

Zion rambled on. "Is a _kayak_ the same?"

"And how do you know _that_ word?"

"Auntie Phoenix."

At this, Virginia turned to Emily. "My sister's favorite warm-weather hobby is kayaking. She was a champion rower during her high school years."

"I understand."

Emily shifted her focus onto Zion. Perhaps she could get him out of his rut.

"Sweet little bird, 'cannoli' and 'canoe' are similar _sounding, _but it stops there. A canoe is a kind of boat. Do we eat them?"

Zion shook his head. "No, Emmy."

"Good boy. Cannoli is a _dessert_ from Italy. I lived there."

Now Zion was gaping at her. "You _did?"_

"Yep. And sometimes after dinner, my mama gave me cannoli because it's a dessert!"

"I get it now!" Zion crowed when things fell into place for him.

"Excellent!" Emily gave him a hug of affirmation. "Are you ready to start making it now?"

Zion completed a double fist-pump. _"Yes!"_

"G—"

But Emily was cut off when her phone rang.

"One second, little bird." she told Zion. "I have a call."

Zion playfully threw himself on the floor. "I'll just wait here."

Laughing, Emily picked up her phone, and lit up even more when she saw Rossi's name.

"Hey!" she greeted her friend. "How are you?"

After promising that he was quite safe at home, he repeated the message he had told to Emily.

"They don't want us back in until Wednesday morning." Rossi finished.

"Oh."

Emily's reply was a little higher than she'd inteded. Her eyes fell upon the Rainers, both of whom were looking at her with matching expressions of amusement.

She cleared her throat quickly. "Need any help with making calls?"

"Uh-uh. JJ is taking care of that. Have a good night, Emily. Be well."

"Thanks, Rossi. Good night."

Both sides hung up.

Emily set her phone aside and looked at the Rainers. Both of them were still amused. The next part of the conversation was going to be fun.

Reading the expression on Emily's face, Virginia quickly spoke to Zion. "Take a beat. Go find the cat."

"But our cannoli—"

"Hasn't even made yet." Virginia used one of her crutches to point towards the living room. "Go. Please."

Sighing, Zion picked himself off the floor and went in search of his mother's pet.

"What was that oddly specific phrasing about?" Emily wanted to know.

"It's the secret weapon I use to keep Zion from being a runaway boulder down a very steep hill." Virginia nodded towards Emily's phone. "Hey, did you say the name _Rossi, _as in _David Rossi?"_

"Mhm. I know him very well, and... his office is next to mine."

"Hot damn. What did he say that was so important? Zion and I couldn't help noticing that your voice took a detour into 'dog whistle' range."

Emily felt her face flush. "About that… Virginia, there's been a plot twist."

"Those two words have defined my life since my injury." Virginia deadpanned. "Try me. I _dare_ you."

So Emily told her what Rossi had said.

Virginia smiled at her when she was done. "Is that all? Emily, I really thought it was a situation where you all would have to go out in that."

She gestured towards the main picture window. It was already becoming frosted from the cold temperatures outside. Constant, ever-swirling snow made it hard to see.

"No, thank goodness. Remind me about the time we flew into Tornado Alley _on purpose_ during a storm outbreak. I won't tell that story until Zy is asleep."

"Oh, alright." Virginia capitulated. "I meant every word of what I said I offered to let you stay. Even if it takes all weekend."

Emily beamed. "Thank you, Ace."

"Always."

Virginia then reached into the pocket of her skirt, and of all things, she pulled out a _pocket watch on a chain. _Emily admired it. She couldn't see the cover, but the whole piece itself was gold, and bore the engraving of a steam engine on the cover, billowing smoke. How old was the pocket watch? Even the gold chain was showing age.

Satisfied with what time it was, Virginia stowed the watch again.

"That's a beautiful timepiece." Emily complimented.

"Thanks." Virginia said proudly. "It's actually the only earthly possession of my father's that I have. I've never even seen his name because it isn't on my birth certificate, but the story is that on the day my parents finally spit, my father threw this at my mother's head."

"What the hell?!" Emily sputtered.

Virginia shrugged her shoulders. "My mother caught it, and just never gave it back. They only communicated again to finalize their divorce. Even that was by mail, though. Things ended so terribly for my parents. I have no idea why."

Emily made a big effort to stay on topic because she had all kinds of questions. "Then just how did _you_ get the pocket watch?"

"I kept sneaking into my mother's things to look at it because I was curious, and then she ended up giving it to me when I turned sixteen."

Zion chose this moment to walk back over.

He sighed. "I found the cat… but she just decided to nap."

"That's okay." Emily picked Zion up. "We're all done. It's time to work in the kitchen. Do you have anything you want to ask us before we begin?"

Zion paused, thinking, and then turned to face his mother. "Please will you take a picture?"

Virginia picked up her phone. "Of you and Emmy?"

"Yes, please!"

"Okay!" Virginia readied her phone's camera. "Get ready!"

Emily and Zion posed.

Virginia snapped the picture.

And Emily's request, she even sent her the image. It had turned out nicely.

While Emily and Zion got started on the cannoli at last, Virginia sent the picture to someone else, along with a text message.

_E & Z are bonding. She's even staying overnight. The snow is unreal. It won't be long before it's worse. _

The recipient's reply arrived swiftly. _What a lovely picture. E is beautiful. Z looks happy. _

_And he is. They adore each other. When is your latest jaunt over? _

_I told you it's for work, silly. Thursday is the arrival. I want to meet E. But I'm sure you understand that jet lag recovery will be at the top of my list. _

_Yes. I do understand, and I can't wait to get the ball rolling. _

_My precise thoughts. Can't wait to see you. _

_Same here. Only a few more days now. _

_See you then. _

Virginia sent a heart emoji before putting her phone in lock screen mode and setting it on the dining table, some ways away from the kitchen before joining her family.

She would tell Emily whom she was texting with.

Eventually.


	41. Chapter 41

The snowfall turned into the promised blizzard as the evening wore on.

Dinner was had. Dessert, too.

Everything was perfect. Emily wouldn't have changed a thing. Nor would Virginia.

But then reality hit. Chore time.

Emily paused immediately when she noticed Virginia drag a box over from beside the front door over to an empty spot at the dining table.

"I _must _know what's in there." she said to Virginia when she noticed that the box was long and slender.

"New crutches. I ordered these last month and they only arrived this afternoon. The purple crutches were the ones I first received in Mississippi. I learned to walk again on them." Virginia opened the box and removed her new devices. "They actually predate Zion. I decided that it was time for an upgrade."

Emily watched as Virginia settled into her new forearm crutches before she pulled herself up. There was one major difference now in the appearance of the devices.

"Woah—they're transparent!"

Indeed they were.

"My hope is to look both cool and formal because now that my tour more than succeeded expectations, I'll be having a lot of meetings." Virginia began walking experimentally on her crutches. "Not my cup of tea."

She came to a stop in front of Emily after making a lap around the table.

"What do you think?"

Emily happily looked her up and down. "I think you hit the exact bracket you were hoping for. Everyone is going to love it."

Virginia beamed. "Thank you. I'll be right back."

She left for her office, returning a few minutes later with a curious assortment of items: a worn journal, a bag of writing instruments, and for some reason, _a stuffed banana._

Emily chose her words carefully. "Ace, why are you carrying that banana?"

"River loves to play with it. I just keep it away from her because it's full of catnip." she replied. "Heaven forbid River finds herself stoned. Again."

River then came bouncing over from the other side of the room. She sat obediently at her mistress' feet when she noticed her holy grail of toys.

Virginia held it out to her pet. "Here you go, sweet thing. Knock yourself out."

River gave a meow of thanks and took the toy in her mouth. She then settled on the floor some odd paces away so she could entertain herself.

Pleased that the cat was content, Emily and Virginia focused on beginning their evening tasks at last. Maintenance. Journal-keeping.

It was nice. Emily felt she could get used to this lifestyle. Rambunctious during the day, but quiet and so full of love at night. Perfection.

Before Virginia could put pen to paper, however, she fished her pocket watch from her dress pocket and set it on the dining table. "River likes to sniff in my pockets. Woe-betide damage falls to the last link I have to my father."

Emily's curiosity got the better of her. "Have you ever thought about looking for him?"

"I entertain the notion from time to time, and I believe my mother when she says I'm not missing much, but..."

Her words trailed off as she contemplated a deep thought. It looked like she was weighing something heavily on her mind. Emily just felt like she was being sized up.

"May I share a secret with you?" Virginia finally said. "I was going to tell you, anyway, but I think we've already jumped through several humungous relationship hoops."

"Definitely true. All the rules are out the window for us." Emily said thoughtfully. "Go for it."

"My mother's second husband was murdered six months before before Jubilation was born. They never met. He was also Phoenix's and Lilith's father, but they won't talk to him because of how bad he was to our mother. 'Astronomically awful' is a polite way to put it."

Emily could immediately tell that a larder part of the story was being left out, but she found sympathy. "That's crazy."

Virginia shrugged. "The twins are very curious about _my_ father because the mystery there is way more intriguing. Every now and then, my sisters try to talk me into searching him out. They've been at it for the last five years, though."

"Half a decade is nothing to sneeze at. What's your stance?"

"I'm not sure anymore. We asked mother about the man, and she said that if we knew what was good for us, we would never cross her with talk of him again. He must have _really_ scorned her." Virginia wrinkled the bridge of her nose. "I wish I had a brother. He would shake things up, and things would just be better. My mother is a friendly person but has had a weird dark side for as long as I can remember. I don't think I've known her without it."

Emily made a humming sound because she didn't know how to respond to this. "What did you tell Phoenix and Lilith about why you haven't looked for your father?"

"That I love my life as it is now to dig into anything with my learned investigative skills on purpose, to be honest. Zeus would have to strike me before I really put effort into a search. But... I _have_ been thinking about it, these last few months." Virginia leaned back in her seat. "One more single big act from Zeus or whomever would be the catalyst. I don't want one, but it would be rude to ignore it."

"That sounds like a perfect answer. Anything you need, I'm here. Promise."

Virginia softened up. "Thanks, Emelise. Your words mean a lot."

"I'm with you. Adventures are always add variety to life."

They kissed after that, sealing things.

And they moved on.

Virginia started in her journal. Emily returned to cleaning her gun. River played happily at their feet.

The unit's heater kicked in. Before long, the whole place was toasty. Zion remained asleep upstairs. Laundry was even being done. Everything felt domestic. And perfect. Unconventional, but perfect.

All of them were safe while the storm raged outside.

Today had been the best Valentine's Day that Emily had ever experienced.

Yet… neither she nor Virginia had any idea of what was to come.

* * *

Emily finally laid her cleaning tools aside.

"Alright." she said, twirling both wrists to get feeling back. "I'm finished."

Virginia responded, "I think you should play with River. See if you can find something that will make her go for a run."

"Okay. I can do that." Emily closed the lid on her boot polish. "Just let me put everything away."

"I'll do it for you." Virginia rose to her feet. "My legs could do with some stretching. Please go liven up River's night."

Virginia watched River happily follow Emily over to the toy box. Their newfound bond made her happy.

But... she also wondered how she has gotten so lucky as to be able to cross paths with Emily at all.

When Virginia sat back down after putting Emily's belongings away, her attention was diverted from her journal to her pocket watch. Light from overhead was reflecting off it.

Would searching her father out really be worth a try? And what about Emily? Asking for help from her might actually get the conundrum somewhere. But so would hearing her whole opinion after she told the whole story.

What harm could come from that?

* * *

River fell asleep in Emily's bed that night, and she even followed her friend all the way down to the first floor. It was nice to not be alone.

There was a few moments' quiet before—

_"Emmy!" _A delighted voice rent the still air.

Zion was at the foot of the stairs and looking hopeful.

Emily beckoned to him. "Please come over, little bird. I didn't hear you."

"That's 'cause I'm sneaky." Zion jogged over and settled in Emily's lap. "Like a cat."

He yawned hugely.

"You're still here."

"Uh-huh." Emily murmured. "I'm here until it's alright for me to go home again."

"Okay…" And Zion began to doze.

Virginia found them like this, and her heart swelled with affection.

"I just saw a weather report on the tv while I was getting dressed." Virginia said after kissing Emily hello and checking on Zion.

"What did the report say?" Emily wanted to know. "I haven't even looked out of the windows yet."

"Luckily, that blizzard has been downgraded to a heavy snowfall. Driving or calling for a car would be a very bad idea." Virginia shivered. "But I don't want you out there, anyway. Too dangerous. I just got groceries yesterday, so we're fully stocked. We have actual survival supplies. You can stay for as long as it takes. I mean it."

"Thank you. I love you." Emily kissed Virginia on one hand. "I'm officially taking you up on the offer. Do you have the time?"

Virginia checked her pocket watch. "Eight-twenty. Would you like to eat breakfast?"

"Nope. You can stay where you are."

And Emily did.

In the kitchen, Virginia looked back to see Emily pulling Zion closer to her as he snoozed. He had been sleeping. And River was curling up Emily's lap. They were becoming cozier with each other.

Surreptitiously so, Virginia snapped a picture of them on her phone. Emily could see it later.

* * *

No sooner had Virginia sent Zion on his way after breakfast to play with his toys than her phone rang.

The conversation began pleasantly enough. "Morning, Kailey!"

Pause. Virginia quickly grew agitated.

"Are you k—"

Pause.

"Do know how insane that is? We've just had a _blizzard—"_

Another pause. Virginia rolled her eyes theatrically.

"Nope—it's fine. I can make it work. See you then. Good-bye, Kailey."

And Virginia hung up in a huff.

"Kailey is my publicist, and she's in London right now." Virginia elaborated. "The main thing is that she just passed on a message. Remember how I said recently that I'm going to need major baby-sitting for Zion? It's going to have to happen even sooner because Kailey just told me that the meeting has been moved to this Thursday. Everyone in the family will be busy or traveling."

A sudden idea popped into Emily's brain. "What time does your meeting start?"

"It'll be at three, and probably last about two hours."

"As long as we don't have a case I would love to take care of Zion fro you." Emily offered. "If you want."

Virginia's woes evaporated on the spot. "You would do that?"

"Yes. I could even cut out of Quantico early, but I just have to check something with JJ first."

"And here I thought you were the one in charge." Virginia teased gently.

"Smart ass." Emily gave her girlfriend a playful swat in the arm. "Have you seen my phone?"

Virginia picked it up from the counter and handed it over. "Here, my dear."

JJ picked up quickly when she saw the name on her phone screen. "Hey, Em. Are you alright?"

"Perfectly content." the older woman replied in a genuinely happy tone. "Listen—what is the likelihood of us going on a case before next weekend?"

"Zero. Have plans?"

Emily squirmed, even though JJ couldn't see her. "Ginny needs babysitting for Zion, come Thursday. I want to make sure that work obligations won't keep me from committing."

JJ smirked. "Then go ahead and commit. Don't be afraid to bring Zion over here—there are toys I think he would like. There's just one caveat."

"And is it what I think it is?" Emily said in a defeated tone.

"Naturally. Please tell Ginny that we will be expecting her and Zion to stay for dinner."

"Okay, Jayje. I'll tell her."

"Thanks, Em. Catch you later."

When Emily ended her call, Virginia regarded her with an arched eyebrow. "Tell me _what?"_

"JJ said we won't have anything pressing, and to bring Zion to her house."

"But…?"

Emily laughed nervously. "JJ also told me to tell you that expects you and Zion to stay for dinner."

"Not subtle."

"JJ is actually really good at being subtle most of the time, but she and her husband have been wheedling me about you for awhile. I think this is JJ pressing fast-forward. My family really wants to meet you and Zion because they're curious."

"It's a good thing that the feeling is mutual." Virginia winked. "Tell JJ that I'm so excited to meet her and the rest of the family soon."

Emily's heart bloomed. "I will do just that."

At the LaMontagne house, a beep from JJ's phone broke a quiet moment she'd been having with Michael. The little boy had found his mother stretched out on the couch, basking in the warmth from the roaring fireplace. Michael took advantage of the quiet just to spend time with her. JJ loved it. She had even set aside an old photo album she'd been looking through so she could hold her son.

But she still checked her phone because she had been waiting on something.

_Ginny is all in. We'll tell Zion later, _the message read.

JJ's answer was very swift. _Fantastic. I'll tell Will. _

She set her phone down again after this and called out for her husband. "Will?"

He came walking in from the hallway. "Did you need something, darling?"

"Just to talk for a quick second. The super short version is that Emily is baby-sitting Zion this coming Thursday, and we'll be meeting Ginny because I invited her to stay for dinner when her day is done."

"It's about time we meet her and Zion. _Finally."_

JJ gave a nod of agreement.

Michael chose to speak up during the momentary juncture. "Daddy, look!"

Will drew closer to the couch. "And what's that you've got, champ?"

"This! It has pictures!" Michael was holding the photo album aloft.

Will remarked, "That is one of my favorite books. Have you seen the little boy in the pictures?"

Michael bobbed his head. "Yes, daddy."

"That little boy is me!"

"No way…"

"It's true. I was a kid once."

JJ chimed in. "Even _I_ was a kid once."

Michael changed lanes by pointing to the albums cover. "Please can we look?"

Will nodded. "Of course we can."

Before long, Will was comfortable on the couch with his family, and narrating the pictures as best he could. He had been a small child when most of these images were shot. And not too much older than Michael was now.

But all the same… his little boy's curiosity made his most determined yet to uncover the truth about his past.


	42. Chapter 42

Only JJ knew the truth about why Emily cut out early on their first day back at work after the blizzard. Taking their cue from from her, the rest of the team didn't question their CO's early departure. Each agent had an alarming mountain of paperwork to contend with, as it was. It was enough to keep anyone busy.

After a quick stop at the LaMontagne house to refresh and put her gun away, Emily drove straight to the Rainers' building.

Zion was elated to see her when she entered their building.

"Hi, Emmy! I'm so happy to see you!"

"Right back at you, little bird!" Emily hugged him. "Are your things ready for our adventure?"

Zion grew sheepish. "I think my backpack is on mama's bed."

"Will you please go check for me?"

Zion gave a nod of understanding as he hurried

Emily turned to Virginia. The couple had already greeted each other, but now it was the author who had turned sheepish.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked her curiously. "Is there anything you need?"

"Not me, so much as my mini-me. He's in need of a new pair of winter boots. Zion grows like a weed." Virginia explained. "What all did you have planned?"

"Taking Zion to the bookstore at the mall to get a new book or something, and then for a snack before heading over to JJ's house. What do you think?"

Virginia gave Emily a real smile. "That sounds great. It actually also goes in line with what I was about to ask you."

Emily guessed it. "Bring little bird to get new boots?"

"Yes. Would you?"

"It would be my pleasure. Does he know about this addendum yet?"

Virginia shook her head. "Not yet. How is the baby?"

"She's happy at the moment, but," Emily framed her noticeably rounded middle with both hands. "She's getting big."

"I agree." Virginia said after a moment of observation. "Should we tell Zion?"

Emily opened her mouth to agree, but Zion's little voice rent the air.

"Tell Zion what?" he wanted to know as he walked over with his backpack in hand.

Virginia spoke soothingly to Emily when she gave her a quick panicked look. "Just go for it. He would have started putting the pieces together soon. Zy's vigilance is akin to a baby hawk."

Emily made up her mind on the spot. She already knew that the Rainers were it for her for life, even if things were on extreme fast-forward. They also knew that she was part of their family, too. Cluing Zion in about what was to come felt like the right action to take.

So Emily knelt down to be level with Zion. "Buddy, do you like surprises?"

"I do." Zion answered her.

"Well, I have a couple surprises for when we go out, but I also have a _super_ big one. Do you want to hear?"

Reading the seriousness of the matter, Zion stood still. "Yes."

Emily gave a small exhale to calm the nervousness that had cropped up. She knew Zion adored her, but what if he didn't take well to this development? That would be trouble. Her fingers were crossed for a positive response.

"It won't be for a ton more sleeps, but… I'm going to have a baby."

Zion fell quiet for a moment as he took in Emily's news. It was almost like watching a computer process new information. When Zion had finally digested everything, his face lit up with joy.

"Emmy," his voice trembled with barely-contained excitement. "I'm gonna be a brother?"

"Yes—"

But that was all Zion needed to hear before he was off like a rocket, doing laps around the perimeter of the main floor as he squealed about dreams coming true.

"Huh." Virginia remarked as the little boy zoomed past them. "He took that way better than I expected. Zion doesn't have a mean bone in his body, but he _is_ the youngest Rainer grandchild. I thought there would be a little bit of pushback."

Emily stood beside her. "We really lucked out, but we'll deal with it if he has an adrenaline crash later, I guess. Did you tell him that you were thinking about making him a big brother?"

Virginia shook her head. "No, but mostly because he would have talked himself hoarse at just the idea. I was also just a little worried that he would have rebelled. Guess not. We will _definitely_ coach him through any adrenaline crashes if they come."

"Agreed." Emily framed her middle again, happy that she no longer had to hide it. "Is anything in our story _ever_ going to happen in a normal way?"

"Nope, and I love it. What about you?"

Emily looked back at Virginia and kissed her. "I love it _very_ much."

"So do I." Virginia returned the kiss and then patted her on the shoulder. "Now let's go corral Zy before he wears himself out."

This was much easier said than done because the little boy was extremely fast. He had also dropped his backpack, tossed his jacket, and lost his shoe. He was in his own world. Nothing could make him happier.

Luckily, Zion was caught and contained fairly quickly. He cooperated even more when Emily informed him of their plans. The last thing he wanted was to slow them down on purpose.

With one last round of hugs and kisses, Emily and Zion finally left.

Virginia departed out not long after them for her meeting. Part of her wished she could go with Emily and Zion. But then part of her wished she didn't. She wanted to see what would come of them hanging out together for a few hours without her. They would get to know each other even more. And have new experiences.

Imagining what those experiences were would surely get her though her meeting much faster.

* * *

Emily had been handed spending money from Virginia before they left that was enough to cover everything. She made a mental note to give her an extra special thank you, later on.

It also turned out that Zion loved to go shopping. A whole different part of him came alive. Emily knew how to handle him like this. It was great. They were speaking the same language. After she told her tiny charge they were going to be purchasing new boots, he came alive even more. Emily became amused when she realized that Zion's inane chatter was actually a rambling lecture on everything her knew about shoes. This turned out to be quite a lot.

As the afternoon went on, Emily felt like her heart was fit to burst over how excited Zion was about everything and about just being with her. She even found herself planning more hangouts with him.

Emily just hoped that Zion's content would carry on for the next phase of their time together.

Going to the house of LaMontagne.

* * *

Zion fell quiet as Emily helped him stow his winter gear. He had his toys from home and one familiar place, but he was just quiet. Emily didn't blame him. This house was new.

"Little bird," Emily said as she guided Zion away from the main receiving area by the front door. "What do you think?"

Zion looked around. "It's very quiet."

"Because we're the only ones home right now." she told him patiently. "Do you remember who I said lives here?"

"You, and your friend!" Zion paused to think. "Umm… JJ?"

"Very good. She does live here, and guess what?"

Zion looked up at Emily. "Hm?"

"JJ lives here with her husband, and they have two boys. One of them is the same age as you."

Zion perked up. "What is his name?"

"It's Michael, and he won't be back for awhile," Emily checked her watch. "But I know that he has toys that you would like. Do you want to check those out? Or would you like to play with what you got today?"

Zion elected to play with a new set of puzzles that Emily had bought for him while they were out. He would play with Michael's toys later. Maybe.

* * *

JJ was a person of routine.

She did what she could to maintain sense and order at home. Creating this atmosphere was actually a learned trait from Will. Before their paths had crossed, JJ's life had been messy and unorganized in more ways than one. The perpetually disorganized state of her BAU foxhole was proof. She didn't even use that room anymore. The state of her old apartment was more proof. But that was another story.

In addition to the sense of joy and completion Will had brought into her life, he had also taught her practical lessons about why keeping a clean and balanced home was important. JJ greatly appreciated this. Even now.

Plus… Henry and Michael had never known any different.

Recent events, of course, had just about thrown the LaMontagnes' preference of stability clear out the window. JJ was learning to accept it. And nothing was going to be quiet once the twins were born. So this was just practice.

Today, she had the jitters because _Ginny Lynn_ and her son would be having dinner at her house. No pressure.

But one small part of JJ's routine she was thankful was being able to collect Michael from the nanny and Henry from school. She liked to do these when she was in town. They even went to the grocery store. How perfectly normal.

JJ hadn't known what to expect when entering her house other than that Emily and Zion were already there, but it certainly wasn't to have her heart in her throat. What was her life now? She truly had no idea anymore.

"Em?" she called out. "I'm home, and I have the kids! Where are you?"

"Here!"

Emily and Zion appeared together in the front hallway.

Then… it was as if time came to an abrupt grinding halt.

Henry just stared. Michael, too.

JJ's heart rose into her that. She dropped her grocery bags, and her purse.

A genuine cry of surprise escaped her. Even her heart jumped.

Startled, Zion pressed closer to Emily for protection.

Emily regained control of her faculties first.

"Jennifer!" she hissed at her partner. "What's the matter with you? Zion's been given quite a turn, just now!"

JJ tore her eyes away from Zion to answer her. "Emelise, he looks just like _Will_ did as a kid!"


	43. Chapter 43

Emily would have sworn if they had been alone.

But then logic and recent events began catching up with her.

"Pardon me?" she finally said. "I know we've done a _lot_ of wild juxtaposing lately, but..."

"Wait a moment."

After instructing Henry to bring the grocery bags to the kitchen for her, JJ found a particular photo album. She and Will had been looking through it during the previous night. With some fervor, she flipped through its pages.

Emily picked Zion up. "What are you looking for?"

"This!"

JJ was pointing at one photograph in particular. It was of Will as a toddler. He was dressed in overalls, with no shirt or shoes. His hands were even tucked behind his back and he had curly hair for days. Just like Zion. The younger version of Will even stood in front of a bush of bridal wreath spirea, and bore a smile on his face that of an overeager child, proud to be able to follow through on smiling for the camera. It was a snapshot of childhood innocence.

But... toddler Will's resemblance to Zion _was_ uncanny. 'Identical' was the word.

Zion pointed the picture. "Emmy? That's me?"

Emily hugged him. "No, little bird. You just happen to look like a very good friend of mine."

"But why?"

"That is a very good question, but let's never mind that. I want you to meet someone."

Zion saw where this was going and turned to the other person in the room. "Hi, JJ. You're pretty."

"Thank you, little friend." JJ said in amusement. "I'm sorry I startled you."

Zion shrugged as if to say it was already forgotten. "Okay."

"Are you hungry now?"

Zion decided that he was. While JJ worked on making snacks, Emily introduced her little charge to Henry and Michael. They were perfectly friendly towards him. Henry even indulged him in all kinds of questions. Michael hugged Zion in comfort when began to cry over a glass of accidentally-spilled juice. Henry cleaned it up and poured their little visitor a new cup. Zion was in awe. None of his cousins were like this. He loved it all.

Emily and JJ took this time to chat away from the boys.

"What the hell is going on?" JJ asked.

"I'm as confused as you are, but it looks like I brought home part of the mystery." Emily said in truth. "Even if it was an accident."

"You say accident, I say plot twist."

Emily smirked. "Ginny says her lift has been nothing but plot twists ever since her injury."

"Be serious and act your age, please!" JJ put her hands on her hips. "We both know that Zion is obviously Ginny's kid, because Will would never be unfaithful to me. We still have the matter of Zion looking like my husband's time-traveling twin!"

"Yes." Emily capitulated. "The resemblance is uncanny. No one could miss that."

"Do you know who Zion's father is?"

Emily shook her head. "He's in the in the 'anonymous' column, I know for sure. Zion is an IVF child."

JJ thought fast. "Then what about _Ginny's_ parents?"

"Well—"

Before Emily could finish her sentence, the front door opened. Will had arrived.

"I'm home, cher!" he called. "Have Emily and Zion made it yet?"

JJ left to greet him. She listened attentively as he talked about his day, and even did some cleaning in their bedroom while he took a shower. Talking about what had transpired could wait for a few more minutes.

Will could tell that his wife was antsy.

"You're acting super jumpy." he said after showering and putting on clean clothes. "That isn't like you."

"Something's come up. The universe handed us another part of the mystery."

"In what way?"

"Trust me—you wouldn't like it if I spoiled it." JJ led him out of their bedroom and down the stairs by the hand. "Come on."

As Will trusted his wife implicitly, he said no more and let her lead.

They found Michael and Zion in the playroom. They were squatting together over a gigantic _I Spy _board book. Emily was there to read the captions and to watch in amusement as they searched for a green frog. She got their attention when she saw the LaMontagnes watching.

"Michael," she said softly to him. "Can you look up?"

He took Emily literally and looked at the ceiling.

"I mean look who's at the door."

Michael did and gave an extra wave to Will because he hadn't seen him since that morning. "Hi, daddy!"

Will waved back. "You havin' fun?"

Michael bobbed his head and turned back to the book. He was determined to find that frog.

Emily gave Zion a soft nudge because he hadn't broken his conversation yet. "Little bird, please do me a favor and look towards the door for a moment."

Zion beamed at JJ when he saw her. "I'm really having fun!"

"That's great!"

As JJ spoke, he kept a hand on Will's chest to keep him steady. He had already recoiled at the recognition. Falling apart now would just be bad.

"Zion, this is Will." JJ told the little boy. "Can you say hello?"

Zion gave him an innocent wave. "Hello!"

Will composed himself. "Hey, Zion. You just keep enjoying that book with Michael, alright?"

"Okay!" Zion trilled before going back to it.

Will backed out of the room, and JJ followed. Emily joined both of them.

She just didn't expect for both of her friends to be at a loss for words. And staring at her.

Emily moved back a pace. "Why are you looking at me like I planned this?"

JJ eyed her closely. "How much _do_ you know about Ginny? In the way of parents and siblinds."

"Ginny has three younger sisters, but no brothers. I also know who her mother is."

"Operative word being 'who,' so I see. Is she well-known?"

"Yes, actually."

JJ opened her mouth to ask a furthering question, but didn't get any words out because Emily's phone rang at that precise moment. "And that'll be your girlfriend."

Emily checked. "Yes."

Will chortled. "Of _course_ it's her."

Emily finally answered the call. "Hey, you. All done with your meeting?"

"Yes." Virginia replied. "I just stopped at home to change and put some things away, but…"

"What is it?" Emily asked gently. "Are you going through a bad leg day?"

"No, but I swapped out the crutches for the walker. I just felt like using it now." Virginia grew nervous. "Are the LaMontagnes going to have second thoughts about me? I don't know if my device will even fit through the doors. That would be awkward..."

Emily was quick to soothe her. "The walker will fit, and I promise that my friends will think nothing of your differences. They can't wait to meet you."

Virginia heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks. How has little bird been?"

It took a lot of self-control to not blurt out what they'd seen. "He's really happy. The boys have been treating him like a brother, and the atmosphere around them is endearing."

"Sounds precious. I have to go pick some things up, but," Virginia checked her pocket watch. "I should be along within the hour. Could you please relay that message for me?"

"You got it, Ginny. I'll see you in awhile." Emily said warmly. "I love you."

Virginia echoed the words back. "And I love you. See you soon."

The LaMontagnes looked at Emily expectantly when she hung up.

"Ginny is about to set out from her place. Her meeting is over." Emily explained. "She said to tell you that she'll be along within the hour because she has one more errand."

Will nodded in understanding. "Quite alright. What was that about her differences?"

Emily thought about how to phrase her next words. The next part of the tale was hefty. And even JJ only knew a fraction.

"Ginny served in the USMC _and_ her local police force." Emily said. "Unfortunately... she was injured in the line of duty as a detective. It was bad. She has a permanent limp now."

Will easily recalled the time he was shot (even if he had been wearing a vest). "Sometimes injuries are a cost of service. What kind of mobility devices does she use?"

"Ginny alternates between a walking frame, a wheelchair, and crutches. It depends on the day."

"Then what is 'bad leg day' code for?"

"Ginny's walking abilities are alright, but it isn't a good idea if she's unsupported. She was also worried about being judged." Emily said. "Her other concern was about whether or not her walking frame can fit through the doors here. It can."

"Sounds like you assuaged her." Will remarked. "Is there anything else of note?"

Emily laughed nervously. "It's worth mentioning that she has tattoos. There is a compass rose on her palm, and she has two full tattoo sleeves, from shoulders to fingertips."

"Ginny sounds fascinating."

"That's one of many wonderful ways to describe her. You and JJ are going to love her. So will the boys."

"Fantastic." Will said confidently.

JJ blurted, "All of this is well and good, but am I going to have to be the one to say _it?"_

They'd made it back to the elephant in the room.

Will sighed. "Is Ginny my _sister?"_

"She very well could be." Emily said. "If what we think is happening _is_ happening, then that makes you an uncle to Zion."

JJ interjected one of her own thoughts. "What if we find a new key about June?"

"That would be something." Will mused.

Emily broke things up before her friends could embark on any tangents. "I'm going to tell Zion that his mother is on the way, but I can definitely help make dinner. Who will be starting that?"

"Me." decided Will.

JJ took stock of what she was wearing. "Then I will go clean up and come help when I'm done."

So the trio separated, each heading in separate directions.

What would the rest of the evening bring?

* * *

JJ and Will waited together in the kitchen while Emily went to meet Virginia outside.

Both of them were feeling nervous.

Will worked on calming JJ. "Come on, cher. It isn't like you don't hang out with a best-selling author all the time."

JJ finally laughed for the first time in awhile. "That's true. I'm so used to Dave as a person that him being an author is a second thought now."

"Even though his books got you through the beginnings of your D.C. years?"

"I guess." JJ laid both of Will's hands to her baby bump; she liked having him close when she thought of sad memories. "And you know what time of life Ginny's books got me through."

"I most certainly do. Meeting new people is always good..."

JJ sobered up when she realized that her husband was no doubt feeling more nervous than she was. And for a more immense reason.

She gave him a pat on the chest. "I can't imagine how _you _must be feeling."

Will exhaled audibly. "This is all so crazy. What did we uncover?"

"I wish I knew."

On the side of the house, Emily was putting Virginia's things away and helping her dry off the wheels on her walking frame.

"What's wrong?" Virginia asked when she finally finished.

Emily answered a little too swift. "Nothing!"

"Yeah, right. I think you're hiding something."

"Funny thi—"

Emily was cut off by the sound of running feet. Zion had appeared, with Michael right beside him. They were inseparable now.

Zion hugged Virginia around the waist. "Mama!"

Virginia hugged Zion in return. "Hello, my little prince. Tell me something fun you learned here."

Zion paused for a second as he looked into her eyes. "Umm... Henry taught me a new word about numbers!"

"And what was it?"

"I forgot, so I'll go ask again. He's _really_ smart." And Zion was off again.

Emily scooped Michael up when she saw that he had remained behind. "I want to introduce you to someone. That cool?"

"Yes." Michael decided. "Please."

"You are so polite." Emily straightened the little boy's shirt when she spotted a wrinkle and then indicated their companion. "This is Ginny. She's my friend."

Michael poured on the charm. "Hi!"

Virginia smiled at him and handed him a kid-friendly book from the side pocket of her walker. "Hi, Michael. I got you a fun book about numbers and letters going on an adventure. Why don't you go show Zion?"

"Okay!" Michael took the book and slid out of Emily's arms like a bar of soap. "Thanks!"

"That boy is as every bit as adorable as you said." Virginia looked Emily up and down. "What are you not telling me, my dear?"

Emily just kissed her. "You'll find out."

"That isn't a direct answer."

"Come along, Ace." Emily beckoned to her. "They'll all be in the kitchen. It's the central hub of this home."

Virginia followed Emily away.

Michael and Zion were at the kitchen table together. Henry remained at the island. JJ was just on the other side. Will was not in the room. But Emily understood.

She told her girlfriend. "This is my family. I love everybody so much. You met Michael, but show the others that you know them."

"Sure thing. I can do that."

Virginia moved to the island towards Henry. The boy reacted like a deer in headlights.

But the author was very patient. "Hi, Henry. I'm Virginia."

"Wait." Henry said as he unfroze. _"That's_ what Ginny is short for?"

She nodded. "Yes. My mother has called me that since I was teeny-tiny because I couldn't spell my real name."

Henry pushed his glasses into place when they slid down the bridge of his nose. "Even though you grew to write stories?"

"Yes. That's also why I put my nickname on the cover of my books, but not too many people know that. May I trust you to keep the secret going?"

Henry nodded. "Yes, Virginia."

"Outstanding. I also know you read my books, but do you have any of your own?"

Henry shook his head. "Nope. I borrow my mom's."

"Time to change that."

Virginia pulled a copy of her first book from her basket and handed it to Henry. When he held it, he treated the volume as though it was made of gold.

"Thank you!" he told Virginia with great enthusiasm. "Thank you!"

Virginia's heart bloomed at the sound of his tone. "You are very welcome. Enjoy it."

Henry promised he would, even squealing in delight when he saw that the book had been signed.

Virginia moved on to Henry's mother. "JJ, I'm _so_ pleased to meet you at last."

"Likewise. And welcome to my home." JJ said as they shook hands.

"Thanks. It's lovely." Virginia reached into her bag one more time. "I learned that we have the same birthday, and that you've been reading my things forever. Please consider these as early birthday presents."

Virginia presented her with signed first edition copies of her first and most current books.

"Thank you." JJ accepted them gratefully. "I love this. You're so thoughtful."

"I'm just happy to meet more family of the woman I love. Everything is perfect." Virginia looked around. "I know that your siblings are grown and have their own lives, but where is your husband?"

JJ set her books on a nearby side table. "Will was organizing, must have lost track of time. One second."

She exited the room and returned with Will, a few moments later.

Then time stopped.

Virginia and Will registered each other, but they were seeing what was clear in Zion. Resemblance.

Will spoke first. "It's true…"

Virginia sat hard on the seat of her walker. "Just _what_ is true?"

Here, JJ turned to Henry, who was watching him in curiosity. "Please take Michael and Zion out."

"But mom—"

JJ spoke in a tone of warning. "Henry Isaac…"

The only further sign of protest Henry made was a stomp of his right foot in indignation. All the same, he picked up his new book and abided by JJ's request. The kitchen was quiet within moments. Will even arranged three of the kitchen table chairs around Virginia in a semi-circle. What was coming was unavoidable.

Virginia looked at Will as he settled right across from her. "Why do we look alike?"

"Therein lies the real rub. My growing-up years are foggy because my mother left by the time I was two. I don't remember or know anything about her." Will ran fingers through his hair. "My father had so much resentment towards her that he wouldn't even say her _name_ after she was gone."

"That's just so awful. Are there no records to check?"

"Nothing that I've ever found—Hurricane Katrina took everything."

"I really _am_ sorry, Will. What became of your father?"

"He was a New Orleans detective for as long as I can remember. I was even in the same department. My father was also totally stubborn, and the night Katrina hit, he wouldn't leave the house."

Virginia was taken aback. "Why the hell not?!"

Emily answered this. "Will's father had just found a clue to a case. From what we learned, he was very close to cracking it. The BAU met Will shortly after the storm so we could help out on that front. A tree hit the house, and... you get the picture."

"Yes. That's fine." Virginia shuddered as a million questions poured into her brain. "How did you three make a leap even _remotely_ in my direction. Try me. I've seen it all."

JJ spoke up. "To make a long story short: we just had a majorly topsy-turvy case involving my family, and as a result, Will made the choice to find his mother."

Will nodded. "And at the same time that the case went down, we found out that JJ is pregnant with twins. I felt like the only right thing do after that was to do what I can to fill in the missing links on my side of the family tree."

"That's a total parent thing to do. How did Emily get in?"

"I was asked." Emily replied. "Our team is also aware."

Virginia took this in stride. "Okay. Did you all find a hint about this mystery?"

Will answered, but his words came haltingly. "And then some. We found clues that evidenced something of an affair, but... even _that_ didn't last because the other woman abandoned my father. To say that he took it hard is an understatement."

"And your mother skipped out around here?"

"Near as we can figure. She was gone altogether before my February birthday in 1978."

Virginia shuddered again. "And I was born in July of that year..."

Emily chimed in, "What do you know about your mother's younger years?"

"Not much in detail." Virginia said at length. "She had me when she was very young, and she's an orphan. I also know that she made the choice to choice to divorce her husband. That wasn't forced on her. She did it, herself. Is there a missing element, here? Have you learned the name of that other woman?"

"She's called June McCann."

This triggered an old memory from deep within the recesses in Virginia's mind. "Oh…"

"Yes?" Emily and the LaMontagnes chimed in unison.

Virginia's tone was of deep recollection. "My boy was born in early July, but for awhile, I thought he was going to be born in June. That name was on my list of maybes. I just mentioned it in _passing_ to my mother."

Emily wrinkled the bridge of her nose. "Go on."

"She issued a warning to my middle sisters and I because all of us were massively pregnant at the time. Apparently, the last person she knew called June had scorned her terribly so. She went on to say that she would be damned if any of us ever name any daughters of ours June. What?"

Emily and the LaMontagnes were gazing at her in wonder. Virginia actually _did_ have a key.

As far as the woman herself was concerned, she didn't feel angry. Confused. Perplexed. Curious. But not angry.

Will cleared his throat. "Virginia, did your mother ever mention the last name of the woman _she_ knew called June?"

"As if. She would sooner spit on the ground." Virginia told them. "Did you all find a picture of June?"

"Yes, and she was gorgeous, but she doesn't look like me. Or you. I could even tell that snapshot was taken in my old neighborhood. June's name and the picture's date were inked on the back."

Virginia steepled her fingers as she continued to think. "But all three of you entertained the idea for a minute—even though it's borderline preposterous—that June could be Will's mother."

"Yes."

"Unbelievable."

JJ laughed hollowly. "The bar on unbelievable is pretty high right now."

Virginia plowed on. "But you all wholly jumped on the idea that _my_ mother is the actual missing equation when Zion showed up here. Who saw him first?"

"Me. The recognition hit me like a freight train because he looks _just_ like Will did as a kid—we were looking at old photo albums last night. That's why I made that leap so fast." JJ elaborated. "Then Zion saw it. He actually asked Emily if that was him in the picture."

"Huh…"

Virginia stopped yet again to process what she was being told.

Will spoke directly to her. "I can go get the picture in a second, but I have surefire way to really prove on the spot that we're…"

"Brother and sister?" Virginia finished.

"Yes."

"I'm all ears."

"Have you ever heard tell of a pocket watch in your mother's possession?"

Emily's heart cartwheeled. She knew that Virginia never left home without the timepiece.

"It'd be gold," Will added. "With an engine on the front, billowing steam."

Now it was Virginia's heart doing cartwheels over and over. Slowly, she reached into her pocket, extracting her prized possession.

"This one?"


	44. Chapter 44

Emily didn't know what to think.

Neither did JJ.

Thanks to their job, they were used to weird things. It was almost normal. What _wasn't_ was and extraordinary something happening in their ordinary off-the-clock lives. All they could do was continue to watch.

Will felt thunderstruck. "There'll be initials on the back."

Virginia didn't have to look to know what they were. "WIJL. Please tell me who that is."

"My father. He was William Isaac Jesse LaMontagne Senior. I'm Junior." Will's eyes flickered from the watch to Virginia. "How did you even come by that? My father bemoaned the loss of his favorite watch for as long as I can remember. He never got over it."

"Funny you should ask about how _I_ got the watch." Virginia tucked her watch away again. "My mother told me that the divorce was finalized through the mail, but everything was just awful on the day she walked away."

Will winced. "How bad?"

"Bad as in he threw the watch at her. It didn't hit her because she caught it. Looks like she never gave it back."

"Wow. My father drank a lot, but he never once raised a hand to me. I can't picture him doing that someone else."

"It's what happened." Virginia said simply. "When I was younger, I would sneak into my mother's things to look at the watch because it was the only material thing of my father's in the house."

"You couldn't help being curious..." Will mused.

"In time, the watch was restored and then mother gave it to me when I of age." Virginia tapped her pocket. "Mother despises her first husband, but she isn't _totally _heartless. I think she's been through too much in life to hold on to those old things."

Virginia surveyed Will with a new light.

"Do you know what all this means?"

Will gave a vigorous nod. "It means that we _are_ brother and sister. Do I look like... _her?"_

"Oh, my goodness. The strong genes must be why Zion mistook you for himself."

Virginia pulled a small travel-sized album from the side bag on her walker, and handed it over when she'd found what she was looking for.

"This is her. She might look familiar to you."

Will had an extreme jolt of recognition when he saw the person in the photograph. "Are you k—"

Virginia shook her head. "Nope."

Will handed the book to JJ. "Cher, check it out."

JJ felt a similar jolt of recognition when she looked up on the picture.

It was with a conscious effort that she connected with JJ first. "Did you know what their mother is _Amaya Rainer? _The chocolatier?"

"Yes, but," Emily immediately began to backpedal when she saw that JJ was less than impressed. "I wasn't searching for a resemblance between her and _Will, _was I? But now the resemblance is irrefutable."

Will turned to his houseguest again. "Has Amaya _ever_ mentioned having a son?"

Virginia shook her head. "No. But... oh, man. Ready for a mind-bender?"

"Alright…" Will said cautiously.

"We have _sisters."_

Will had heard this information earlier from Emily, but it was different now because they were also _his_ little sisters.

But he was excited. "What are their names?"

"Phoenix, Lilith, and Jubilation. I chose them." Virginia said with pride. "Another story for another day."

She spoke now to JJ.

"My middle sisters are twins. They're even identical. Do you know if _your_ twins are?"

JJ framed her middle with her free hand. "Yes, and we're still in awe. Is there a picture with Phoenix and Lilith in the photo album?"

"Third from the front."

JJ found it. Once again, her heart cartwheeled.

"Your sister are beautiful, but... wow..."

Virginia watched her put the pieces together. "Keep going."

"Jubilation. Is she…?"

"Yes. All of this is real."

So JJ passed the photo album to Will. "These are the rest of your sisters."

Phoenix and Lilith were dressed in very nice outfits because the picture had been shot during a professional photography session. Jubilation, in what looked like her Sunday best, stood between them on a bench to be at their level, but had been rather tickled by something that had been said. Her big sisters looked on in amusement while she pressed her little hands over her mouth in a poor attempt to maintain her composure. The picture was delightful. No wonder Virginia carried the picture around.

_I have sisters—four of them, _Will thought.

He then looked Virginia square in the eyes. "They're beautiful. And _Jubilation_ is our sister? What's she like?"

Virginia thought about it. "Jubes was born a week before Zion, and she _loves_ unicorns. Totally obsessed. But she can say 'integer,' and travels the world with Amaya. She is positively precious."

"I can't wait for that little darling to meet Michael. They'll adore each other." Will chose his next words carefully. "I totally see the resemblance between us, Phoenix and Lilith, and Jubilation. Who is _their_ father?"

Virginia cleared her throat. "A subject like that is totally not dinner talk. I'm sure you'll hear about it eventually. What you didn't _see_ is that I brought presents for your lovely wife and charming sons. You aren't left out."

"No?"

"Uh-uh." Virginia accepted the photo album back from JJ and swapped it out for a first edition copy of _Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. _"This is for you."

"Woah!" exclaimed Will as he accepted the gift. "How did you know I was looking for this?"

"Emily told me so."

Emily tried not to appear too bashful.

JJ stood when the over timer buzzed a moment later. "I'll take care of that. What do we tell the kids about ask this?"

"Nothing." Will and Virginia answered in a united front.

Emily snickered and quickly retrieved the photo album JJ had shown her earlier in the front hall.

"Virginia, this is the picture that made Zion confused." she passed her the album. "Have a look."

A torrent of emotions crossed Virginia's face as she processed what she was was looking at.

Virginia was almost breathless when she spoke with Will again. "This _is_ you?"

"It sure is. That picture was taken in our front yard, along the main walk."

"You look like my boy's carbon copy here. It's uncanny. Would you please tell me a story about yourself from back then?"

Will happily told all of them the story of when he had gone to the bayou for the first time. Virginia hung on to every word.

All throughout dinner, none of the kids even suspected that anything even remotely outstanding had happened amongst the adults. Everything was ordinary. Normal.

But Virginia later saw an opportunity to discuss it again.

And she pounced.

While the LaMontagnes cleaned up from dinner, and the children dispersed again, Emily brought Virginia to the living room. They were alone.

"How are you doing?" Virginia asked Emily as they sat together on the couch.

Emily was taken aback. _"Me?_ You're the one who just gained a sibling."

"You're cute." Virginia gave Emily's thigh a gentle squeeze. "If you didn't care for this family as you do, then we wouldn't have gotten this far, would we?"

"Good point. It _does_ affect me since we're together." Emily removed Virginia's hand from her thigh and brought it to her lips, gently peppering it with kisses. "I'm feeling intrigued by the grand scheme of things. Excited, curious, in love. Full of questions."

"That's good." Virginia set her hand in her lap. "Now I'm thinking about talking to Amaya in morning. I would say come with me, but that would just be a bad idea. Mother has a hot temper. Be glad that Elizabeth and Fitzhugh are as normal as they are."

Emily laughed softly. "They have their moments—I dare you to ask them about Johannesburg or Ontario."

_"__What_ about those places?" came JJ's voice.

The LaMontagnes had joined then and were now settling in armchairs opposite the couch.

"Nothing, Jayje." Emily said quickly. "Just my parents' misadventures from before I was born. They are very silly and like to screw with me."

But JJ had started smirking. "Misadventures, huh? Like you? In Vegas? Hungover?"

"Oh, my God." hissed Emily. "Do you really want to go there? What about the plane ride back home after that? It was just Aaron, me, a bajillion week pregnant you, and that _ridiculous _craving."

JJ went from smirking to turning red. _"Seriously?"_

While they argued, Virginia looked to her brother. "Are they like this all the time?"

"You bet." Will replied. "They would have been together if I hadn't come into the picture, and all three of us are certain that they were married in another life. What's happening here is nothing."

This last part amused Virginia greatly.

She turned back to the other two and gently called out, "JJ?"

The woman turned to face her. "Yes?"

"What was that 'ridiculous' craving? Oreos dipped in peanut butter?"

"How the hell...?" JJ sputtered. "Yes. Yes, it was, but why do you ask?"

"That exact combo was exactly what I craved when I carried Zion." Virginia explained. "My mother also had that hankering both times I saw her pregnant. It looks like all kinds of things are getting passed around in weird ways from our side of the family. Does anything quiet ever happen here?"

"Not anymore." the other three chimed together.

"There is totally a story there. I _will_ find out some time."

"Determined." JJ noted. "I like it."

Things then fell quiet for a beat as it dawned on them that they now had time to chat, and kid-free. But who would go first?

This was where Virginia took the plunge. "I've clearly been brought in to whatever it is you all have stumbled upon. That's okay. I'm an open book, and I promise I won't try to pry shop talk out of any one of you, but there are super wild things that you'd learn about the Rainers if you shook the right tree hard enough..."

"Then we consider ourselves warned. Anything else?"

"Mother is a nice person. You just have to work for it. As I say, she's intense because she's been through a lot." Virginia sighed heavily as old memories flashed before her eyes. "I do know of _one_ question worth asking her."

"What would that be?"

"Ask her why she ended up in _Mississippi, _of all places."

This piqued JJ's curiosity. "What about there is that special to Amaya?"

"Like she would tell me." Virginia scoffed. "All I know is that Texas was her first choice."

"But that's in the opposite direction!"

Virginia shrugged. "I'm luck that I got _that_ much out of her. She is just _so_ puzzling."

"Much like this whole mystery." Will commiserated. "I think we'll get to the bottom of this. One day. Thanks for the pointers, Virginia."

She gave him a playful salute. "You're welcome, brother."

Emily smiled at the siblings' exchange. One small worry of hers had been that one of them would spiral. So far, so good. But then for a second, Emily wondered just _why_ Virginia and Will were taking this gigantic bombshell about their lives as well as they were. Surely one of them would crash.

But what would trigger that?

Hopefully not an encounter with Amaya Rainer.

Heaven forbid…

Emily came back to the present when she felt Virginia patting her hand.

"You with us?"

"Yes, beautiful." Emily gave her a reassuring smile. "What's on your mind?"

Virginia went straight to the point. "I'm very content to be a bystander, but for now, I just want to hear about why the hell you were hungover in Las Vegas during a case, but more to the point—what did you even do?"

"I also want to hear." Will said quickly. "Please?"

Emily groaned, but still told what turned out to be a very amusing tale about taking a silly bet from Derek to cheer up JJ, who had been a tad grumpy at the time. It wasn't long before the atmosphere in the room was cheerful and light-hearted.

What a relief.

* * *

Emily gave her girlfriend a tour of the house, ending at her bedroom.

They were alone again.

But as soon as Emily closed the door…

"Ace, what's wrong?"

Virginia seemed on the verge of tears. "I'm a proud person. I also don't ask for help. You've realized that by now, haven't you?"

"I have. It's a trait I admire."

"Well, I embrace Will being my big bro, but this is about my mother again."

Emily rested her hands in the small of her back as she felt the baby turn flips. "What about her? Are you worried?"

_"Yes. _My plan was for you to be eased into my colorful history, but that's gone right out the window. I have a request. Now I'm conflicted because I don't want to sound ridiculous."

"My love, I'm sorry this is eating you. Truly. After everything that's happened between us—even before tonight—I think we've established ourselves as a family unit. Wouldn't you say?" Emily got on her knees and looked up at Virginia. "Ask me anything. I did already blurt "Marry me!" on our first date, so I think it's really safe to say that we can talk to each other about anything."

It hadn't gone over Virginia's head that Emily had purposefully placed herself in such a vulnerable position. Especially with a recently-rejected marriage proposal in her past. Virginia actually fell in love with Emily even more.

"Come home with us." she finally said. "I just need another adult to keep me company for a normal night, Emelise, and I need that someone to share a bed with. Please?"

Emily's own sense of love also increased. Virginia was just asking for the need to be comforted.

"I'll come home with you whenever you want. Just ask." Emily rose to her feet. "We can totally have a normal night together."

Virginia let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Virginia. Let me hold you for a minute."

Virginia fell into her arms and melted into Emily's gentle touches. The comforting would start now. All else could wait.

One floor below them, Will was going through a thought process very similar to Virginia's. Now he was catching his breath.

"I have sisters!" he said to JJ. "Four of them, and one is a _toddler!"_

"That _is_ pretty remarkable. Amaya must be a lot younger than she looks."

Will made a harrumphing noise. "But did my father marry my mother to save her since she's an orphan? Or did they actually love each other?"

"I'm choosing to think positively and believe that they did," JJ said calmly. "Since they made two children who have brought such joy to other people."

Will gave his wife a grateful smile. "That makes me feel a lot better."

"Terrific. One of my favorite things about all this is that both of Senior's children served in different ways. That's really something to be proud of. I know I am."

"You are too good to me, Jennifer. What's also tripping me out is that my mother is famous."

JJ nodded in agreement. "Yeah, _that_ is crazy."

Amaya Rainer was the Gordon Ramsay of the chocolate world. Most people knew who she was by reputation alone.

"I just wonder why she left me and never came back. Was I not enough?"

JJ's heart filled with sadness. Her husband's feelings were justifiable, but she had no idea of what to say.

"Do you want to meet her? Now that you know what you do?"

"Yes, but I'm not ready anymore." Will decided. "Not yet."

"That's perfectly okay." JJ soothed. "William, you have no reason to rush anything."

He nodded. "No rush. None."

"Mhm. You can talk to Amaya whenever you feel ready. I bet Virginia will help."

"Oh, I'm banking on that. No way I'd go _that _task alone. Everything about that reads as unwise." Will changed gears and brightened up. "But on the other hand, I am thoroughly excited to be a big brother."

JJ let out a puff of air when one of the twins pressed up against the side of her baby bump. "Having a sister is the best. I hope you have fun getting to know yours."

Before Will could do any more wondering aloud, Michael and Zion wandered in. They were tired. Bleary-eyed. So much fun had been had.

JJ beckoned to them. "Come on up, you two."

Will held his arms out. "You boys just want to be held, huh?"

Michael yawned. "Yes, daddy. Please."

The little boys climbed up on the couch and were asleep within moments. Michael settled with JJ. Zion chose Will. The adults fell silent. They were soaking in the moment. Calm in the chaos. A loud, but very peaceful silence.

Emily and Virginia found them like this.

"Did they finally reach their limit?" Virginia asked when she took in the sight.

"Only of being awake." Will said softly. "They wanted to be held after playing hard."

JJ noticed that Emily had her go bag with her. "Staying at the Rainer place?"

"Yep, and we already said good-bye to Henry. I'll see you at work."

Virginia motioned to Zion as she said to the LaMontagnes, "He is a heavy sleeper. Will you help us round his things up?"

The LaMontagnes were quick to say yes.

Parting was hard. At least for Virginia. She was leaving part of her heart behind.

She moved towards JJ first and gave her a hug. "I'm so glad that we met. Getting a new sister makes me even happier. We'll see each other again."

"Good." JJ returned the hug and then held Virginia out at arm's length. "Because I love you a lot already."

Virginia grinned and then moved on to her brother.

"Will," she said quietly. "I don't have any words."

"Neither do I." he replied. "Come here for a second."

The siblings embraced.

JJ couldn't begin to imagine how they felt. Emily just wondered what all Virginia hadn't told her.

It would be a long night.

* * *

After getting Zion ready for bed and tucking him in, Emily returned to the first floor of the home to find her girlfriend crashed on the couch. That was as far as Virginia had made it from the front door. Her wet shoes were drying out by the doorstep, but seemed to still have her coat and purse on. Even her walked stood a little further out from where she sat. As if she wasn't interested in it.

Emily rolled back her sleeves and used a hair tie from her pocket to secure her hair into ponytail. "Zy is tucked in. The cat is even cuddled up with him and snoring. I need _you _to sit up straight."

"Why?" Virginia was confused, but she obeyed.

"So I can do this for you."

Emily removed the other woman's jacket and collected her purse.

Virginia watched her put the items away. "What are you doing?"

"I understand your feelings about asking for help." Emily said as she stood in front of her. "But I can also see that your legs are worn out. All I want is to take care of you. Please? What do you need?"

And for the second that night, Virginia fell even more in love with Emily.

"Marry me."

The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Ask me again when the time is right." Emily pressed a kiss to Virginia's forehead. "I'll be here waiting. Tell me what you need right _now."_

"My chair, please. It's by my bed."

Emily fetched it for her.

She spoke again when Virginia had settled herself. "I'm going to put on the kettle for tea. Would you like me to make sure there's enough so you can have some?"

"Yes, please. I'll go get one of my puzzles." Virginia answered.

Amongst other things, she collected puzzles in all shapes and sizes.

"Okay." Emily told her. "That sounds great."

And each woman moved about the home. It was time for a perfectly normal night.

* * *

At the LaMontagne house, Will and JJ put their children to bed and shut the house down early. It was the only thing that made sense just then.

They lay together in bed, cooling off after a very passionate lovemaking session.

JJ called Will out when she noticed he was unusually quiet.

"Do you want to talk about it?" JJ asked quietly.

Will responded by wiping her down with one of their bedsheets. "It's dumb."

"Let me be the judge of that."

Will continued to wipe JJ down until she wasn't hot or sweaty anymore. He took his time. JJ waited. She wouldn't judge. Not even when Will repeated the process on himself.

He pulled JJ close when they laid together again. "I'm scared. You did say awhile back that not every rock needs to be turned over, but look at what happened tonight. It really feels like a storm is coming. Promise me you'll be by my side?"

JJ kissed Will. "Yes. I promise."

Will breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her.

Their talk turned to normal things.

But… even as they fell asleep, JJ couldn't help wondering about this impending storm.

She had already predicted that one was coming.

Now...

It was just a matter of _when._


	45. Chapter 45

For a fleeting moment when first waking the next morning, both LaMontagnes considered calling in to their places of work for a day off. So much had had happened.

But…

Will's partner wouldn't buy it.

Neither would JJ's.

Back to the grind.

* * *

"Hey, you."

JJ snapped out of her thoughts when she realized that someone was walking beside her in the lobby.

"Good morning, Em." JJ greeted her.

Emily checked her watch. "Made it in early, I see. It's only just a quarter to eight now."

The regular clock-in time for them was wight in the morning.

JJ shrugged. "Everyone was unusually cooperative, but I think Henry was extra motivated."

A memory triggered in Emily's brain as they boarded the lift and it began to ascend. "Oh, that's right. A field trip to the college for a production of _The Jungle Book__."_

"Mhm. Then it's lunch at the dining hall afterwards." JJ sighed. "My baby is going to be hanging out at a college campus. The other day he told me out of the blue that he wants to go to CalTech—nowhere else."

"Wow. _California. _JJ, your firstborn is eleven."

"Don't I know it. The first time Spencer held Henry, he promised me that he would help get him into Yale if he needed the boost, but then he told Henry that had been the safety school for him."

"Of course it was. _I _went to Yale. What did Spencer tell Henry after that?"

JJ smiled at the memory. "That he could get him into CalTech with one phone call. I've never told Henry about that before, but I congratulated him on picking a fine school and encouraged him to ask Uncle Spencer about it. He's going to have a video call with him later."

"Adorable. And you still managed to leave the house in one piece this morning. Impressive. How's Will?"

"Happy, curious, pinching himself, wondering what his first conversation with Amaya will be like. I imagine he's on a rollercoaster he's not in control of. Will also adores his new sister but has mixed feelings about Amaya."

"Totally understandable, given the circumstances… oh…"

Emily touched a hand to the underside of her middle and wrinkled the bridge of her nose.

"Jellybean doesn't like elevators?" JJ guessed as they disembarked theirs and moved off to the side of the lobby.

"Not one bit," Emily supported her middle with both hands now. "And that's a bummer. The easiest way to get into Virginia's apartment is via elevator."

"Speaking of your your girlfriend, something occurred to me about her." JJ shuffled her feet in a childlike way. "Remember when we profiled Will's parents with the team?"

Emily nodded. "Yes."

"What comes to mind is that we profiled something of an event like the conception of a secret child that caused the first LaMontagnes to split. Remember that?"

"I do. Jennifer, what are you driving at? Virginia fitting this bill?"

"Uh-huh. There's nobody else she could be in this puzzle."

"That's also occurred to me. Knock on wood," Emily tapped a nearby wooden bench with one foot. "That we won't have to talk about it."

"Please." JJ scoffed. "The others _will_ find out because there are absolutely no secrets in this case."

"You are on a roll. All I can do now is pray that this case doesn't involve my family before I meet Virginia's mother—you can't take back a first impression. And why are you smiling?"

"Because you're so happy. The Rainers are the family that the universe had waiting in the wings for the right time." JJ said approvingly. "Have you told Zion about the baby?"

"Yes. That boy is over the moon." Emily said proudly. "After he asked me if he was going to be a big brother and I said yes, we watched him actually run laps around the living room. _That_ is how much joy-filled energy he had just at the idea. He slept hard last night. I even spent time holding him this morning before Virginia drove me to the train station."

"You're Zion's other mama now. He knows it, but I don't think he knows how to express himself in that department."

"On the nose. Virginia and I also know that we're it for each other for good."

"That's all so wonderf—"

_BOOM! WOOSH!_

Her words were cut off by a tremendous thunderclap outside. Immediately following came an immense downpour.

JJ sighed. "Back to reality."

Emily nodded. "Yep. Come on, JJ. I have to put my lunch away. Reality awaits."

The rest of the team arrived not long after this. It didn't take them long to all settle into their morning office routines. Emily hoped they would have a new adventure.

Sometime soon.

Emily's hope came true sooner than she thought it would. Just… in a way that was quite outside of 'the usual.' Because of course.

It started with a case that Penelope presented.

"My ladies and gents," she began when they were all gathered together in the round table room at ten o'clock. "I have a real head-scratcher for us today. No one even has to bring a go bag."

Emily arched an eyebrow. "Then how local are we talking?"

"The Metropolitan P.D., more specifically the squad that Will belongs to."

JJ actually jumped where she sat. "Really? I haven't spoken to Will since I left the house!"

"I _never_ have good news to bring in the room. Approximately one hour ago, the body of _this_ man was discovered. It's my unfortunate duty to report that his name is familiar to us."

As the profilers checked the prepared information, they saw the image of a dead man in an alleyway, but it was JJ who reach the following screen first. Her heart promptly turned over.

She turned to Penelope in slight shock and motioned towards the screen, where a bigger image of the picture was displayed now. "That is Chase McCann. Son of June?"

"Yes, JJ. That would be correct."

Emily slouched a little in her seat. "Then this is the part where I have to eat my words about June being off-limits."

"Chase McCann's manner of death is a little unusual." Spencer said as he looked up from further investigating the death files in his file folder. "He was shot through the heart with an _arrow. _Garcia, do you remember the last time we saw that modus operandi?"

"Like I could forget." Penelope shuddered. "Alaska."

_"__Alaska?" _chimed Matt, Tara, and Luke together.

"Another story for another time." Rossi said swiftly.

Luke touched the frame of his tablet in thought. "Shooting someone through the heart is already cold, but the trajectory here shows that the unsub was close-range. _That_ makes it personal. I also see something on the edge of the arrow, but I can't read it because it's in Japanese. Does anyone at the table read or speak it?"

Tara nodded and held a hand out for Luke's tablet. "Me."

"Okay. Here you are."

They watched as Tara took the device and studied the picture. Attached to the end of the arrow could be seen a scrap of plain cloth with what Emily supposed was a warning written on it. Emily found it extra curious that just above _that_ someone had taken the time to attach large bird feather.

Tara looked at them when she finished translating. "It says, 'death becomes all.' But… Oh, God…"

"Just talk it out." Emily urged. "Tara, you look upset."

"Because I am. That specific phrase is exclusive to a notorious crime syndicate in Japan called the yakuza."

Curiously, _Matt_ reacted to this information by accidentally spitting out the coffee in his mouth.

"Simmons?" Emily inquired as her colleague was quickly passed paper towels to clean the mess up.

"I am so sorry." Matt mopped the mess up. "It's just that… my family… well, there's history with the yakuza."

"Excuse me?!"

Matt sighed as he felt every eye turn in his direction. "My family is fully Korean on my side, but my parents immigrated to New York from Seoul. The _real_ tale is in why traditionalists like them would even the place they loved so much."

"What's the story?"

"My parents fled in fear. Thanks to a misunderstanding during a trip to countryside, my uncles and his wife were killed by the local _Korean _yakuza gang. The response my parents had was to immigrate from Seoul to Manhattan." explained Matt. "The people responsible were caught, but my parents never went back. I guess life in Seoul was too much. Our family name was changed from Jeong to Simmons because the main goal was to start over completely. My oldest sibling, Hosea, was born ten months later."

A stunned silence followed the story. The rest of the team knew about Matt's family in D.C., but not much about the family he'd grown up with. It startled them that a person so private had this much tragedy in his life.

"We are so sorry that that happened," Emily told him. "And we're even more sorry that you recognize the bad people for such a terrible reason, but we do appreciate know a little bit about the syndicate."

"Thanks." Matt dispensed of the soiled paper towels. "Let me remind you everyone that I'm not the only person who had a moment of recognition."

And the spotlight shifted back to Tara.

She kept a determinedly straight face. "Amongst other people, I interviewed a member of a local yakuza faction _here. _It was about eight years ago. Particulars are escaping me."

"That's okay for now." Emily told her. "Penelope can help jog your memory with research."

The woman in question opened a new screen. "I might end up having to tag along with everyone today. Exhibit the next: Chase McCann's damaged electronics."

JJ privately thought that 'obliterated' would have been a better word. McCann's phone and laptop had been smashed with something like a heavy boot.

"These were at the crime scene?" she asked Penelope.

"Affirmative. His ID, wallet, and keys were there, too. That's how the PD knew who he was."

"Understood. Those electronics probably have some valuable information on them, otherwise they wouldn't have been reduced to smithereens. Do you think you can restore them?"

"Yes." Penelope said with confidence.

"Then you're definitely coming with us."

Rossi spoke up, addressing Penelope. "Do you know anything about the tail feather at the end of the arrow?"

"All I can say at a preliminary glance is that it looks like it belonged to an eagle."

Spencer looked at her in surprise. "It's definitely an eagle feather. How did you know?"

"I paid attention when Jason talked about his favorite birds. Eagles were on his list."

Luke added his two cents. "Eagles aren't endangered anymore, but they're still protected under a number of laws. Those birds also aren't small. By a long shot. Dollars to donuts, the unsub has a property big enough to keep one or more of them around."

Penelope jotted this down on a Post-It Note in her binder. "I'm marking that down to remember later on."

Rossi voiced another thought aloud. "So we've definitely been invited in, but is there anything else connecting Chase McCann's body? Like more?"

Penelope nodded as she presented them with images of two more sharply-dressed men, both of who had been killed in ways identical to McCann. "Here are Peter Castro and Asher Silas. If anyone had read ahead yet, you'll have noticed some very interesting bullet points by now."

Spencer had already made the connection. "Castro was _the _Castro of that Castro & Webber law firm in downtown D.C., but his death became a cold case. The same become of Silas' death. _He_ was a real estate tycoon mogul, selling lavish properties to the rich and famous."

"Why don't you share with everyone what McCann did for a living, then?"

"He was a high-powered attorney for IntelliCorp Enterprises."

This was a local internet, phone, and cable service.

JJ remarked, "All three of the unsub's victims were men of power and locally well-known."

Matt nodded. "And then we still have the yakuza angle. In spite of what they say about themselves, those people _are_ their own mob. Now it looks like there's a faction operating somewhere in the area. Have the people who committed these murders bothered their victims' families?"

"No." Penelope reported. "They're all still alive, but only one family stands out because of who the wife is."

"Don't leave us hanging, here." said Rossi.

"I'd say she's one of the most elite to ever cross our path. All of you _have _to recognize _her."_

They were met with a professional photograph of none other than Amaya Rainer, herself.

JJ's heart skipped a beat as she processed what was happening. Calling Will was now at the top of her to-do list. As quickly as all this went through her mind, she looked to Emily. And with reason.

She was blushing.

Spencer noticed. "Are you acquainted with Amaya Rainer?"

"Not exactly…"

JJ cut to the chase for Emily's benefit. "We learned last night Amaya is Will's mother."

"What?!"

Emily's blush deepened. "I guess I can't keep this quiet much longer—not with what we're about to go do—but a little bit less than a day after I parted ways with my child's father, I met someone while I was out. She just so happens to be the eldest daughter of Amaya Rainer. We've been in a dating relationship ever since then."

Spencer simmered back down as her remembered back to a certain evening in the Prentiss family kitchen. "Alright. I'm glad that you're happy now, Emily."

Luke waved his tablet to get their attention. "The rest of us are also happy for you and we'll celebrate later, but I think we're digressing. Who is Amaya Rainer's daughter?"

JJ answered him. "Ginny Lynn. The author."

"How—never mind. When was the connection about the familial ties made?"

"Last night at dinner. Ginny came over with her son."

JJ's and Emily's company looked at them expectantly.

So the partners gave a quick rundown of all that had been learned and revealed at dinner.

"That's on the fantastic side of incredible." said Luke when they had finished. "We know who Will's mother is now, and also that he has a younger sister."

"There are actually four of them. We've only met one so far." JJ admitted. "It's more important _now_ that Will's mother is connected to one of the dead men."

Penelope interjected herself into the conversation again. "If I may—another reason that Amaya Rainer is a person of interest is because she was _divorced_ from Asher Silas by the time he died."

Emily suddenly realized she was on the cusp of learning the secret that Virginia had been so worried about. "Why did they divorce?"

"The records are sealed up _tight._ I don't even have a clue."

"Could you work your voodoo to unseal them?"

"Of course I can, but being practical for the sake of time, I'd have to say no. Restoring McCann's electric devices would be easier. I just can't do both."

Across the table, Spencer steepled his fingers. "Which means that one of us will have to get Amaya Rainer to talk somehow—after collecting her. Any idea who is going to do that?"

Emily already felt like her brain was breaking. "Let's decide that when we get to the station."

JJ stood. "Then I'll call over to tell Captain Walsh that we're coming."

"Very good." Emily also rose to her feet. "Come on, everyone. Time to roll out."


	46. Chapter 46

Will's partner, Primrose, knew him like the back of her hand. This was a good thing because they saw a lot of things together in their line of work. A _lot._

When Will showed up to work in something of a daze the next morning, Primrose immediately went to Captain Walsh in concern. They worked together to get everything out of Will. He told them, all too aware of how bizarre it sounded. But that was just his life now.

His colleagues were both bowled over by the time he was finished.

_"__Amaya Rainer_ is your mother, and _the_ Ginny Lynn is your sister?" sputtered Primrose.

Will's answer came simply. "That sums it up."

Walsh was almost amused. "Your life is _never_ quiet. First the case with your wife's family and then this?"

"My life hasn't been quiet since the day I met my wife, m'am. Seriously. I've enjoyed every moment of it—even the rollercoasters."

"Perfect answer. Does JJ know that you were going to share these things with us?"

Will nodded. "We agreed that we would share all of... whatever this is with our colleagues if or when it became necessary. He were are."

"Quite right. And I take it that the BAU is in the know?"

"Just about from the get. Hiding things from them is really not possible."

"Sounds about right. They are neat people." Walsh reflected. "LaMontagne, do you think you'll be able stay objective at work here? Even if we somehow end up working with your wife and her people again?"

"Yes, m'am."

"Then that's what matters." Walsh stood and opened her office door for her sergeants. "Please go back to your desks now."

Will and Primrose did ad they were told.

Time itself wiled away slowly. All of their paperwork about their most recently completed case had already been turned in during the previous workday. Now they were in the frame of time where they could only wait for something new to come.

Boy, did it.

Today's call from the medical examiner brought them to an alleyway astride a bodega in D.C. proper. While the local law enforcement officers worked to break up the crowd at the edge of the caution tape, Will and Primrose made their way over to the dead body. Death waited for no one.

"Alright," Will said after Primrose greeted the medical examiner and spread out to take photographs of the crime scene for their investigation. "Who do we have today?"

The medical examiner reported the facts. "Caucasian male, in his late thirties. The liver temperature indicates that this man expired some time between five and six-thirty this morning. It was discovered just before nine."

Will checked his watch. "Esmé, it's only just now fifteen after. How are you already here?"

Esmé's office wasn't far, but this was a record for her. "No traffic. I called _you_ because I know that you and Primrose like the weird ones. Besides—look who's back."

Will saw where she was pointing, and found himself doing everything possible to not recoil. Protruding from the John Doe's chest was a hunting arrow, and affixed to its end was a scrap of cloth and an overlarge eagle feather. The sergeant had seen this MO once before. But not for a long time.

"Excuse me a second, would you?" Will said to Esmé.

She went back to working on the body.

Will quickly closed the gap between himself and his partner to where she had stopped. "Prim, you'll never beli—what's wrong?"

For Sergeant Primrose King was perplexed.

She pointed to a sight just in front of her on the ground. "A smashed laptop and cell phone. Why go to all the trouble to do that, but leave them here?"

"That _is _interesting. Have you noticed anything like a briefcase?" Will wanted to know. "Our John Doe's outfit suggests he belongs in an office building."

Primrose shook her head, but became soft when she saw that her partner had something to say. "What did you want to tell me?"

Will pointed over his shoulder with one thumb. "I just saw a hunting arrow, adorned with a scrap of cloth _and _an eagle feather sticking out of our dead man's chest."

Primrose's eyes widened—she knew exactly why Will was turned around. They known about this case after it ran cold, but all evidence had been turned over to them. It stood in their 'keep an eye on' pile. Now... Now, it was active.

She looked from where Esmé was working fastidiously on the body so she could see the anomaly for herself and then back to Will. "This is insane. Has... _he_ ever been identified?"

Will shook his head. "No. He's never even been caught. There's just his goddamn calling card. All of this would be enough to get on the FBI's radar, anyway."

Primrose tried not to lose her cool. "We'll have to put a pin in that. I haven't seen anything about the John Doe's identity. What about you?"

"N—"

Will was cut off when Esmé called for them.

Both sergeants hurried over.

Esmé showed them a wallet in one hand. "I found the man's ID. This is Chase McCann..."

Will heard the rest of Will's words, but they seemed far-off.

Chase McCann.

They had found Chase McCann. Son of June.

And he was _dead. _

Primrose pulled Will aside. "I'll call Captain Walsh in a minute. Are you going to take the course that we both know is required?"

"I am." Will said seriously.

"Outstanding. Then I will just leave you to it."

Penelope was rather surprised to get a call from Will. When he filled her in on the situation, she immediately promised to present the case as quickly as possible. All Will could do after that was wait for the FBI to show up.

Emily led the way into Will's precinct building, her merry band of travelers trailing behind her—each of them using umbrellas to protect themselves against the downpour. It had yet to let up.

Captain Walsh greeted her guests. "I'm so pleased you all made it here so fast, and in this weather. Thank you."

"Oh, thank _you,_ m'am." Emily returned as she and the others closed their umbrellas and shook off any excess water. "I'm sorry that we have to work together in circumstances like these again. All of us appreciate this being brought to our attention so fast."

"Will and Primrose are to thank for that."

JJ looked around. "Where are they?"

"In the conference room." Walsh beckoned for the BAU team to follow her. "I tasked them with getting them ready for your arrival."

Where any regular person saw a clean conference desk with a tidy display of blank notepads, canisters full pens, new file folders of updated information about the case, a glass board and markers, and even an array of hot drinks, JJ saw her husband's obsessive cleaning and organizing at work. But she kept a neutral expression.

"How's it going?" JJ asked her husband when they entered the conference room and gathered at the table.

Will sounded a tad dejected. "It's going. Dora and Primrose are up to date... unless there's been a new update."

JJ looked around at her comrades. "Who wants to tell them?"

Rossi did. He was their best storyteller.

Will, Primrose, and Walsh were each equally surprised, but took it in stride. Even the angles about the yakuza and possible animal endangerment. Ir was bizarrely fascinating.

"Has the labor been divvied up yet?" Will asked the visitors at length.

Luke shook his head. "No."

Emily took the lead as she said to Walsh, "Is Chase McCann's body with at the coroner's office now?"

"Yes. We were able to get through an investigation of the of the crime scene and get the body removed before the rain started."

"Perfect." Emily turned next to Rossi, Spencer, and Luke, who were sitting together in a cluster. "Please go see what there is to learn. Report back when you're done."

They conveyed understanding and left.

"Where are McCann's destroyed materials?" Emily asked next.

Primrose gave the answer as she got to her feet. "In the evidence bay, Agent Prentiss. Would you like me to go retrieve everything?"

"Yes, please. That would be really great."

Primrose bowed herself out of the room. Penelope followed her.

Tara turned to Emily. "What about me, boss?"

"I would like for you to stay put, but please be ready to work with Penelope about jogging your memory where the yakuza faction is concerned."

"Okay. I understand." Tara pulled the nearest yellow legal pad towards her, selected a pencil at random from one of the canisters and began write things down to help the memory-jogging process.

Emily turned her sights next on Will. "I need you to stay here to help us develop a timeline."

Will understood why he wasn't going into the field and swallowed him pride. "Anything you need."

Matt stood when he realized his name hadn't been said. "I'll go get Amaya Rainer, then."

"Fantastic." Emily praised.

Walsh furrowed her brow in confusion. "But we haven't even discussed where she works!"

Matt tapped a pocket in his jacket. "Penelope sent me the particulars before we left Quantico."

"Will wonders never cease? Take care driving out there. We'll be here waiting when you get back."

Matt bid farewell and made sure to grab an umbrella before going back out into the downpour.

* * *

To say that Amaya Elle Jo Rainer had led an interesting life was an understatement.

Orphaned as a child, married at a young age to a man who had pitied her and then made her a mother, and then ultimately a divorcée all before the age of twenty were just some highlights on her list of lifetime achievements. How she had even gotten into chocolate as a career was another story altogether.

What Amaya felt mattered most was that she was free of old demons—minus a single whopping secret—and that was happy with her life. That was all.

Amaya couldn't really ask for more.

Her career was better than ever.

All of her daughters were happy. Healthy. Successful.

Everything Amaya wanted, she had.

Including a tight lid on the one secret she prayed none of her children would ever learn of. Especially Virginia. She was very sweet... but almost as unforgiving.

"M'am?"

Amaya turned away from where she'd been staring out of her office window at the rain, and over to the door. Her secretary stood on the threshold.

"Yes, Gwen?" Amaya asked kindly.

"There's a visitor here to see you."

"Is that right? My next appointment isn't for another hour."

Gwen smiled as she stepped to the side. "A _surprise_ visitor."

She was replaced with Virginia, who was dressed for the wet weather outside and sitting in her wheelchair. Amaya lit up at the sight of her daughter. It had been some time since they'd been in the same country for more than three days. They still had yet to have a proper catch-up.

"Duckling! How are you?"

"Why do you have to call me that?" Virginia griped as the door was closed behind her.

"Because I can? Because I made you?" Amaya said playfully as she sat on a sofa near her desk. "Because you were obsessed with ducklings?"

"When I was little bitty…"

Virginia made her way over to the sofa and set the brakes on her chair, but made no move to join Amaya. Her legs were so tired today. Damn rain.

"Are you okay?" Amaya asked gently. "I thought you'd been using your new crutches lately, not the chair."

"It's just a bad leg day. Things always get bad when it storms like this." Virginia shrugged. "I have been sticking to the crutches and the walker, but for the record, I used the chair some time recently."

"Oh?"

"You and Jubes were out of the country. I took my chair along when Zion and I met Emily at the Botanical Garden."

Amaya smiled at this. "How _is_ Emily? It's been awhile since you sent me a text update about her."

At the thought of her girlfriend, Virginia perked up. But any thought of Emily brought her joy. They had even woken up in bed together that morning and laid together for awhile. It had been their own piece of heaven.

"She's great. Very happy."

"That's good." Amaya said in approval. "And she loves dear Zion?"

Virginia nodded vigorously. "She really does. Emily stayed over last night, and before we left to the train station so I could drop her off on time for her commute, she held Zion for a long while. Just to cuddle. He was half-asleep, but we both heard him call her 'mama.' I thought Emily was going to cry."

"That's incredibly sweet." Amaya then scrutinized her daughter's appearance. "You're sitting on something."

"My chair."

Amaya scoffed. "Don't be smart, duckling."

Virginia removed her rain poncho and draped it over the back of her chair. "I'm just telling the truth."

"Sass me like you're twelve, and not in your forties all you want, but I _will_ figure out what's got you squirrelly."

Virginia promptly closed her mouth.

While Emily's parents knew that Emily was pregnant, Amaya had yet to be informed. It would happen soon. But in person.

"I read your silence loud and clear. Listen—as much as I do enjoy a visit from one of my children during the work day, I really _do_ have an appointment in an hour. What brings you here?"

Virginia just went for it. "How could you not tell Phoenix, Lilith, Jubilation, or myself that we have a brother?"

Amaya felt a bucket of ice go through her veins, but she deflected the question. "What are you talking about? You know perfectly well that the sex of the baby I lost to Asher was undeterminable because I wasn't far enough along yet."

Virginia bristled when she realized what Amaya was doing. "I wonder about precious Halo all the time, but right now I'm talking about William. Junior."

Heavy buzzing filled Amaya's whole brain. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to scream, cry, or throw up.

When she did speak, her voice was just above a whisper. "You have no right…"

Virginia crossed her arms and sat back. "To know that I have a brother? Why would you _never_ tell me? He's perfect, by the way!"

The ice in Amaya's veins redoubled. "He's alive?"

"You thought he was dead?!"

Amaya held her hands in a 'time-out' position. "How did _you_ even learn about him?"

And things devolved into an argument from there.

* * *

The Hightower Chocolates building was positioned in a unique area. It sat just outside of D.C., near the stretch of highway that led in Quantico's direction. One couldn't _not_ see it.

According to the receptionist in the main lobby, Matt learned that Amaya's office was one floor up. He was greeted by the secretary.

"May I help you?" she politely.

"Special Agent Matt Simmons, FBI." he showed her his credentials. "I'm looking to speak with Amaya Rainer. Is she in?"

"Yes. One moment."

The secretary rose and knocked on the closed office door. Matt heard two angry voices on the other side halt at once.

"Gwen," one voiced called. "This is really not a good time. I also need you to please cancel the rest of my day."

"Consider it done, m'am, but you have another visitor—a rather important one."

Pause. "Fine. Please let them in."

Virginia jumped when she saw who it was that had been admitted into her mother's office. She remembered him from a picture Emily had shown her.

"You're Matt Simmons!" she blurted.

The agent nodded as he stored his credentials. "I'm sorry—have we met before?"

Virginia shook her head. "I'm Ginny Lynn, the author."

Matt wonder at once what Emily was going to say about this new... _complication. _

"It's really to meet you." he said as they shook hands. "Did Emily show you a picture of the team?"

Virginia nodded. "Yes, and I remembered everyone's names. But… I'm sure you came here to talk to my mother."

"I did." Matt cleared his throat and approached the other person in the room. "Amaya Rainer?"

She stood and shook his hand. "That's me, sir. Is there trouble?"

"In a manner of speaking, m'am. I'm here to talk to you about Asher Silas."

Amaya sat back down again and her tone grew a little cold. "What about that man? He's_ dead."_

Matt continued to be polite even the face of the rising hostility. "We are aware, m'am, and we express our sympathies. It's come to our attention that your former husband was killed in an identical manner to a man we found today."

"Oh." Virginia said in surprise. "Are you coming to me because that case was declared 'cold' and 'inactive,' or because Asher was my husband?"

"Both. Please pardon me for saying so, but I can't help noticing that you don't seem all that invested here."

Amaya stared Matt straight in the eyes as she pointed to his wedding ring. "How many years have you been married?"

"Twelve."

"I was married twice. The time was for less than five years, and the second was for twenty-three. Both of my marriages failed miserably. The second one—where I was Missus Asher Silas—ended with bad blood, even _before_ he was murdered." Amaya huffed. "I'm sure you can see why I'm not as torn up as you would expect."

"Yes, m'am. I do have some questions I need to ask you."

Amaya was curious against her will. "Such as what, please?"

"What was the reason for your divorce? Why did it end in 'bad blood,' as you put it?"

"That, agent, is going to take a _lot_ of unpacking. What else do you want to know?"

Matt continued on in his calm tone. "M'am, does the name Chase McCann mean anything to you?"

"I can't say that it does." Amaya turned to her offspring. "Ring any bells with you?"

"No." Even as Virginia said this, she already knew that Chase McCann was undoubtedly linked to June.

Matt delivered the last piece of information, with no filter—to test Amaya. "Unfortunately, McCann is the one dead… and his mother was June."

It was as if something had been ignited in Amaya. An actual raging fire. Even if it was for a few moments.

"Tell me right now—is that miserable _harlot_ still alive?"

"Yes. She is, m'am."

Amaya was already glad that the rest of her work day was cancelled. "Fine."

Virginia undid the brakes on her chair and got ready to put her poncho back on. "Special Agent Simmons, when do we go?"

Amaya snapped at her. "You are _not _coming!"

"I am _so!"_

The Rainers both stared each other down in a battle of wills.

Matt swore he saw sparks flying between them.

He cleared his throat again. "Miss Lynn, if you feel that coming along to the station where my team is working is an appropriate move, you are more than welcome."

Virginia broke her gaze and put her poncho on so she could adjust it around her wheels. "Thank you very much."

"We can go whenever you and your mother have gathered what you need." Matt glanced towards the rain-streaked window. "I'll bring the car as close as I can to the main door downstairs."

Amaya and Virginia thanked him, gathered the rest of their belongings and followed Matt back down to the lobby. It didn't take long.

When Matt pulled the car up as promised, helped the Rainers in, and secured Virginia's wheelchair in the trunk, he wore an expression that said he was thinking hard about something. Such a supposition actually wasn't that far off-base.

Matt finally spoke when he turned on to the main road from the parking lot. "There's been a change in plans."

"What is it?" Amaya asked him.

"Thanks to the rain, the station has been flooded, so the entire investigation has been relocated back to the FBI building in Quantico. We're heading there now. Is that an imposition?"

Amaya shook her head. "Not at all."

Virginia voiced her agreement. "That's quite alright. We appreciate the notice."

Matt gave a nod of acknowledgement and then put all his energy into focusing on the rainy road. They hadn't seen this much rain in a long time.

Amaya wasn't sure what Virginia did. As for herself, she sent word to the babysitter about the possibility of things taking awhile. But she didn't wait for a response. It was all she could do not to drop her phone because of how bad her nerves had become. Was it possible for time to stop? It felt like the answer was yes.

And Amaya turned to look out at the rain as she became lost in thought once more.


	47. Chapter 47

_"__Amaya, you don't have to do this!"_

_She whirled around to face the man who would soon be her ex. "Don't I, Bill?"_

_He backpedaled. "I thought you were happy here!"_

_"Don't you dare use that word with me right now! 'Happy' is for two people who enjoy being together, and it certainly doesn't apply to the half of the duo that steps out on their other half with the goddamn secretary!"_

_"How many times do I have to tell you? June McCann isn't__—"_

_"I don't care because 'home-wrecker' suits her best!" Amaya made a few steps closer to her car. "That isn't even all!"_

_"No?" _

_"No__—you don't even want to leave New Orleans!" Amaya stomped one foot. "So lame!"_

_"There hasn't been a LaMontagne that's left New Orleans in over fifty years. Except you." _

_Amaya spat at Bill's feet. "I'll never have to use that name for myself again when everything finally goes through. What a relief that's going to be. I hope that when Junior grows up, he gets out. My hope for him is that he sees the world, meets and marries the love of his life, and has at least four children who are happy and healthy. A good life is all I want for him." _

_"__Then why not take him with you? Children deserve to have both parents in their lives, especially their mother." Bill pointed to their house. "You could go get him right now. I won't say anything."_

_Amaya's eyes filled with tears. "Kids deserve a stable home. I can't give him that. Not at this point in my life."_

_Bill said in a tone of maddening calm, "So then your absence would make this whole mess level out."_

_"As long as June remains in the picture." Amaya wiped her tears away with her fists. "How has Arthur not cottoned on yet?" _

_Bill didn't miss a beat. "He's been a capital nitwit for his entire life. Of course he wouldn't put the pieces together about June sneaking around. It isn't like I'm going to tell him__—we've never been in the same social circles."_

_Amaya put her hands on her hips. "His being stupid is no excuse or permission to carry on with what you already know is wrong. I can't stay. I just can't."_

_"__Fine." Bill huffed. "Were you serious about all that travel talk?"_

_"__You're damn right I was. I want to see the world. All the states, too."_

_"Oh, really? Then you were also serious about doing something in the culinary world with chocolate?"_

_"Yes, and one day, you won't even be able to go to the market without seeing something I made or imagined!" Amaya stood her ground. "I also want to be somewhere that I can finish school in a normal fashion! How is that too much?"_

_Though entirely by choice, Amaya went to night school in the community._

_Bill was almost taunting now. "Are you saying that you regret having Junior? Does he weigh you down?"_

_Amaya shook her head. "Not in the least. I love him with all I have. Leaving him behind is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. But... I'll come back to see him one day."_

_"__No, you won't." Bill said firmly. "You said yourself that kids need a stable home life. I'm closing ranks if you leave, Amaya. The boy doesn't need to be confused." _

_The tears fell harder down Amaya's face. For as much as she wanted to distance herself away from this man, the one quality of his that she would never forget would be his unbelievable stubborn streak. More than once, Amaya had come to wonder if it would be his undoing. But the thought only crossed her minds when she was in her more vindictive moods. _

_Amaya turned to begging. "Oh, please don't be like this."_

_"__Then stay here. You'll be sorry if you go."_

_Before Amaya could say anything, she let out a small soft, "Oh!" and cradled her middle with both hands when she felt the smallest of stirrings there. But she also cursed inwardly. Thus far, she'd been hoping to escape without Bill finding out her new secret. _

_He realized what was up at once. "You're pregnant again? Is Junior getting a brother? Were you even going to tell me?"_

_Amaya felt a little sheepish. "Yes, I am expecting again, and Junior could even be getting a sister for we know. As for that last question... I don't know how to answer that."_

_Bill gestured towards Amaya's middle. "How long have you known?"_

_"__Just a short stretch."_

_"__Then how can you favor one of our children over the other?"_

_"__I'm not!" protested Amaya. _

_Bill continued to be dangerously calm. "__Then go get Junior."_

_But Amaya didn't move towards the house. She wasn't sure if she could move at all._

_"Then that's that, isn't it? You're going to be sorry."_

_Amaya found her voice again. "I'll go get Junior now—you won't ever have to see us again. Just tell a fib about how we left in the night. Everybody would believe it. We fight like cats and dogs all the time." _

_Bill put his foot down. "I say no. You lost your chance when you hesitated. I never want to see you again. Or Junior's new sibling."_

_Amaya took a step back. "You don't mean that."_

_"__But I do."_

_Bill advanced, and Amaya had no choice but to take a few more steps back. She was almost to her car now. The writing was on the wall. _

_"__Go. Now." Bill reached into his shirt pocket and withdrew his trusty pocket watch. "You'll be damned or sorry, either way."_

_He threw his watch at her in anger. Amaya caught it. There was no way would she let Bill get the last lick in by causing any physical harm. _

_"__Fine. I'll go, but mark my words—I will see Will again one day. Somehow. It'll happen."_

_Amaya got into her car, started it, and drove away. _

_She didn't look back. It would hurt much more than it already did. All Amaya could do was keep driving forward. _

_It even began to rain. _

* * *

Amaya came back to the present when she realized that Virginia was talking to her.

"Hey. We're here."

"Oh." Amaya smiled at her. "Thanks."

Mother and daughter exited the car.

True to form, Matt brought the SUV to the FBI building's overhang and retrieved Virginia's wheelchair from the trunk or her. He even saw to it that it was properly assembled before going to park_—_all without saying anything that wasn't positive. The pouring rain was more than a little disheartening. No end was in sight yet.

* * *

On the sixth floor, the BAU team was getting situated. They had beaten Matt, Amaya, and Virginia back to HQ by a small margin.

"Is everyone okay?" Emily asked as they gathered together in the round table room. "I haven't seen rain this bad in a very long time."

Every gave a general murmur of assent.

Spencer chirped, "Thank goodness for the invention of the umbrella."

Will arched an eyebrow. "No history lesson?"

Spencer shuffled his feet. "I didn't want to weird your partner out."

Primrose was quick to counter this. "I've heard stories about _everyone_ on the team. Weirding me out is not a possibility, doctor."

Spencer breathed a sigh of relief.

Tara looked top from helping Penelope setting out Chase McCann's battered electronic devices. "Is there an ETA on Matt and the Rainers?"

Emily checked her watch. "Five to ten minutes, weather permitting."

Will barely concealed a shudder. He was very found of his newfound sister already, but the idea of going to face his mother _so_ soon after making the choice to draw back startled him. He was grateful when Emily continued speaking.

The dark-haired woman turned to Penelope. "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes." Penelope confirmed. "Would you like me to gather an information profile on Amaya Rainer?"

"No, but thank you."

"Okay. I'll be over on my side of the floor if you need me."

Penelope exited. Primrose trailed after her.

Emily spoke to Luke next. "Please go down to the lobby to wait for our incoming party. I imagine they're on the property by now."

Luke also left.

Tara looked curiously at her boss. "Why don't you want a profile? Isn't that a standard move?"

"Yes, but not just now. Amaya is our friend. The last thing we want is for either of the Rainers to feel upset."

"Can't argue there. Do you know where the chat with Amaya is going to happen?"

Emily sighed. "The interrogation room."

Tara spoke in a reassuring tone. "All of us know there's no such thing as a second first impression, but what if I fixed the heats and lights to make things bearable?"

"That's better than nothing. I appreciate your help, Tara. Thanks. Will you please go do what you can?"

Tara nodded. "Yes, boss."

Reading the situation, Spencer followed her out of the room. Their departure left Emily with Rossi and the LaMontagnes. Excellent.

Rossi spoke up. "Why don't we go see what the hot water and coffee situation is in the kitchen?"

Emily nodded in agreement, but turned last to JJ and Will. "Stay here. Take the time you need. Nobody will pass judgment."

"Thanks." JJ told her. "We'll be along in awhile."

"Very good."

And Emily followed Rossi away to the kitchen area.

"Where's your head at?" he asked as they worked together to fill up the hot water and coffee dispensers.

"I know I can maintain my objectivity, but my heart is doing jumping jacks. These people are my family now. It's a new feeling… and a tad on the discombobulating side."

"For sure. It also makes you more connected to the LaMontagnes than ever, but through _Will."_

Emily sighed. "That thought has also crossed my mind."

"And?" Rossi prompted. "What do you make of it?

"I think it's amazing. There are times when I pinch myself about how my life has gone since…"

Emily's words trailed off, but Rossi picked up the thread very quickly. His affection for his friend had always translated into knowing her very well.

"You've been pinching yourself about how your life has gone since you came back from Paris?" he guessed.

"Correct, but I especially consider my life since I came back from the United Kingdom. I mean... I miss Aaron and Jack all the time, I'm totally going to look into seeing the Morgans at some point next year, but still... it feels like I grew up."

There came a twinkle in Rossi's eyes. "Oh, you have."

Emily smiled at this. "Everything since _Paris_ has led me to meeting the Rainers. To becoming closer to the LaMontagnes. To becoming a _mother. _I'm sorry about all the sad things that have happened, but even without that, I wouldn't be who I am. Now I'm learning to about true contentment."

"Then all of this is more than you could have asked for?"

"Or _imagined. _But I know for sure that I can definitely handle what's about to come."

Rossi pulled the pot full of water from Emily's hand—she had forgotten about it—and set it in its machine. He also straightened the coffee pot when he noticed it had accidentally been set in crookedly before swiftly changing the machines' functions over, enabling them to start heating up.

"Are you sure in your assessment about yourself?" Rossi asked gently.

"I am." Emily changed lanes a little bit. "Is it alright if I ask you something personal, Dave?"

"Sure. Ask away, Emily."

"When did you know that you were in love with Caroline?"

Rossi smiled as he thought remembered pleasant memories of his late first wife. "I knew from the second I met her at a bar that we both liked."

"When did you know what you wanted to marry her?"

"By the end of the first drink." Rossi looked at his friend curiously. "Why? Do you already know that you want to marry Amaya's daughter?"

"Yeah." Emily said softly.

"Then I'm happy for you. When did you know?"

"By the end of the first conversation." she admitted. "I also get along really well with her son, and he pretty much worships me."

"That's really great. Do he and his mother know about your precious cargo?"

"Yes. Both of them are completely over the moon."

Rossi gave Emily a genuine fatherly small. "Excellent. Like I said, I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks, Dave." Emily said sincerely. "That really means a lot."

He gave her a pat on the shoulder and then spared a quick glance towards the main doors. "Look sharp. Our visitors are here."

The duo headed to the bullpen doors together.

Escorted by Matt and Luke, the Rainers had arrived. Both of them were curious about everything.

Virginia beckoned to her girlfriend when she saw her on the approach. "This is far from how I wanted you to meet, but please come say hello to my mother."

Emily approached the other woman. Amaya drew forward, too. She lit up at once.

"Hello, Emily!" she greeted her with great enthusiasm. "I'm so happy to finally meet you!"

"Oh, the feeling is very mutual." Emily returned warmly. "I've heard such fun stories where you're concerned."

Emily wanted to hug Amaya but restrained herself because she was at work. Instead, she settled for a friendly handshake.

"Would you like to meet my team?" she asked hopefully.

Amaya nodded. "Yes, please."

Emily turned to see that the rest of her team was together now. Even Penelope and Primrose had arrived, no doubt tipped off by one of the others. Will wasn't present. But that was understandable. Emily would figure out her friend had gotten to. Sooner or later.

"You've already met Matt and Luke which means I can introduce you to everyone else now." Emily pointed everyone out in turn to Amaya as she went. "From left to right, we have Supervisory Special Agents David Rossi and my partner, Jennifer Jareau. Beside them are doctors Lewis and Spencer Reid. Last but not least are our technical analyst, Penelope Garcia and our friend, Sergeant Primrose King. She's consulting with us from the Metropolitan PD in town."

Amaya greeted everyone kindly. So did Virginia—who even made sure to tell them that they could call her by her given name. She and her mother were happy to another part of Emily's world.

"Where are we going to have that 'chat'?" Amaya asked Emily.

"Unfortunately, the only space we have available is our interrogation room."

"Not to worry. I'm happy to go wherever you need me to." Amaya said cheerfully. "Three of my children serve or have served in different capacities, which has always led me to just adapt."

"What do Phoenix and Lilith do?" Emily blurted before she could stop herself.

Amaya winked. "Nix and Lily are 911 responders."

"That's amazing." Emily cleared her throat to get herself back on topic. "Agent Simmons can show you over to the interrogation room, but first—would you like tea or coffee?"

Amaya thought about it. "May I please have coffee with just a little bit of cream?"

"Sure thing. I'll get to work on that."

Matt drew level with Amaya. "I can show you where to go now."

"Okay." agreed Amaya. "Thank you."

Everyone else began to disperse in their wake, but Emily was quick to Penelope aside.

"Where is Will?" she pressed.

"In my secondary work room. Who knew the man was handy with tech? Should I go get him?"

Emily realized exactly why Will was hiding. "Leave him be. How handy with tech _is_ he?"

_"__So_ handy that I'm confident we can restore everything in half the time I previously estimated."

"Outstanding. Please go keep Will busy."

And so Penelope also left.

This was when the remaining people noticed Virginia sitting alone in her wheelchair, lost in thought.

"Go take care of her." JJ urged. "I'll bring Amaya's coffee to her. She doesn't know who I am to her in the grand scheme of things yet."

Pleased, Emily joined Virginia.

"What brought you to Amaya's office?" Emily asked curiously.

Virginia sighed. "Things turned into an argument when I asked her about my brother. It wasn't fun because we don't fight often. There are things I have to share that I know Amaya won't, but… Emelise, she thought her _only_ son was _dead."_

"What?!"

Virginia shrugged. "That's all I know. Our argument began after that."

"Okay." Emily sighed. "I'll keep that in mind. How about I bring you somewhere quiet and send someone your way so you can talk?"

"That sounds good to me."

After using a ramp at the far end of the bullpen, they emerged at the top of the catwalk on the side that was closest to Rossi's office. Emily let her in here.

"My office is just next door, Virginia. Would you like anything to drink? There is lemon tea over in the kitchen; I know that's your favorite."

Virginia parked herself near the desk and set her wheelchair brakes in place. "That would be lovely, and you know how I like it."

"I do. Someone will be right in."

Virginia thanked her and watched her go. She was alone with her thoughts.

When Emily made it to the kitchen, she saw that Rossi was the only one left.

"Let me guess." the old man said. "Virginia has a lot to talk about?"

Emily nodded. "Boy, does she, but she'd being super tight-lipped. Would you…?"

"I was already planning on it. Did she want anything?"

"Lemon tea. She likes hers with just a little bit of sugar." Emily straightened her appearance out again. "How do I look? Ready to go talk to the mother of the one I love?"

Rossi bobbed his head. "Mhm. You'll be great."

When Emily made it over to the interrogation rooms, it was no surprise to see JJ, Spencer, Luke, Matt, Tara, and Primrose were gathered together. They had been waiting for her. But… each of Emily's colleagues were unusually quiet.

"What is it?" Emily asked them. "Did she figure out who JJ is to her yet?"

JJ shook her head. "I gave her her coffee and she thanked me. It was just… her gaze is _intense. _The only place I really see that is on Will or the boys."

"But a lot rattles you, JJ."

"Well… when Amaya looked at me, I saw a moment of something… afar_. _Like sorrow. Do you know what we're getting into?"

"I'm not sure." Emily said. "Virginia said when they argued about Will, Amaya had been under the impression this whole entire time that he was _dead."_

Silence. Loud, wild silence.

"Pardon?" Spencer said into the quiet.

"I'm not sure." Emily repeated. "Amaya has really been through a lot. I couldn't begin to imagine or know any of it."

She turned to Matt.

"But _you_ established an accord with her."

Matt stood taller. "She didn't say the words, but I think she likes me."

"What did Amaya do?"

"After I made the observation that she didn't seem too invested when I mentioned Silas, she went in for the kill when she spotted my wedding ring." Matt remembered.

Emily listened closely. "Go on."

"Amaya asked how long I've been married. When I told her the truth, she told me that she's been married twice and that both unions failed miserably." Matt stuck his hands in his pockets. "I was then told that her second marriage ended in _bad blood_ even _before_ Silas was murdered. That intensity that has JJ acting like a spooked horse? It's real."

"Sounds like Amaya was trying to get you to buckle, even just a little. You didn't. Outstanding."

"Thanks."

"For that, you get to go talk to her."

Matt nodded in acknowledgement and entered the interrogation room.

Amaya sat up straighter when she saw him. "Special Agent Simmons, I was hoping it would be you."

He sat across from her. "Is that so?"

"Uh-huh. I like you, and I admire that you didn't flinch when I tested you earlier. People have told me numerous times throughout my life that I'm intimidating."

Matt chose his words carefully. "If anything, you're a survivor."

Amaya studied him. "You are so calm and collected, sir. Have you served in some capacity? Before the FBI?"

Matt nodded. "Yes, m'am. I served in the United States Coast Guard."

"Thank you for your service." Amaya pointed to the interrogation room window. "Is my girl over there?"

Matt then shook his head. "No, m'am."

Amaya sat back in her chair but already seemed to be dejected. "Good. Special Agent Simmons, we have a _lot_ to talk about."


	48. Chapter 48

Everyone at the observation gathered closer to watch Matt's and Amaya's conversation.

"I am all ears, m'am." said Matt to Amaya. "I am obligated to tell you before we go on that this conversation is being recorded."

"That's fine." Amaya responded with approval. "I'm happy to cooperate with however you need."

"That's very kind. Not everyone we talk with is this cooperative. Is there anything you need before we get started?"

"Just for you and the others to call me by my name. Enough people already call me m'am. Now please ask me what you want to know."

"Alright, Amaya. Let's begin from the top: where were you born?"

Amaya turned red. "This feels damn near ridiculous to say aloud, but I was born in Death Valley."

Matt arched an eyebrow. "California's a long way from here."

"Yeah. The rest is just so embarrassing." Amaya replied. "I'm from Death Valley during the time that Charles Manson was around. My parents were even two of his early followers."

"Extraordinary..."

"My parents didn't do anything bad, so far as I know, but they believed in the rest of his ideals." Amaya looked Matt straight in the eyes. "I did a lot of research when I was younger because an opportunity presented itself. And I suppose I was around _him, _but I wouldn't remember."

"Of course not." Matt sympathized. "You were a child back then. Amaya, can you remember if or when your parents broke away from that life?"

"Yes. I became very sick. My parents were told that if they left, they would never be allowed to come back." Amaya began drawing patterns on the tabletop without even thinking about it. "I contracted pneumonia. We left Death Valley for a proper hospital, and my parents gave just about everything they had so they could pay the doctors."

"I would do the same for any of my kids if they became that ill. What happened after you recovered?"

"We left the state and settled in Houston. Our happiness didn't last long because a tornado him a small handful of months later. It took my parents and spared me. I was only seven. You don't forget trauma like that."

"Certainly not. Did your parents tell you the memories about California?"

"Mhm. It was always just the three of us, and they were always open because they believed in straightforward honesty. I was told the truth when I asked why we left." Amaya stopped tracing shapes and tapped the hard surface beneath her fingers. "Ask me something else now."

Matt's next inquiry came fast. "How did you end up in _Louisiana?"_

Amaya gave a slight frown. "Foster care has _always _been a total soul-sucking bummer. When I was older, state budget cuts forced the home where I lived to be sent to a bigger one in the Bayou State. Where I landed first isn't important."

"No? Then what is?"

"The fact that I ran from my last group home, and wound up in New Orleans. It was 'the big city' for me."

"That town is magical. How old were you at the time?"

_"Too young. _I even caught the eye of a local man studying to be a cop. He was older than me, but not so older than me that it was totally obscene." Amaya nervously flexed her fingers. "Things were also just... _different _back then. Louisiana has _interesting_ marriage laws."

"Then I take it that you married this man? Was it a marriage of convenience?"

Amaya nodded. "I loved him. I loved him, I loved him, I loved him. William Isaac Jesse LaMontagne. We had a son together. I named my boy for his father. We had a senior and a junior in the house."

To his credit, Matt didn't react to this passing mention of JJ's husband. Amaya was all but eating from the palm of his hand.

"Were you happy together? The LaMontagne Three?"

_"__I _was happy. For awhile. Bill, too. _Junior_ was always happy and oblivious. I protected him from every bad thing I could. His first full sentence was that he loved me. My son had the biggest heart."

Even though Matt already knew half the answer, he said, "I notice you talk about your son the past tense. Where is he?"

Amaya did her best to keep from crying. "I have to ask something else first. Just please tell the truth—does it go that you all somehow discovered June, but not what she did for a living back then?"

"Yes. That's correct."

"Then what I have to say is going to sound like it's from a soap opera, but I _swear _it's the truth. June the harlot crossed Bill's path while he was a detective because was a paralegal in those days." Amaya griped. "It was awhile before I discovered what they were doing, but that's when _everything_ fell apart."

"I'm sorry." Matt said sincerely. "Did you confront either of them?"

"I sure did. June acted like it wasn't a big deal because I was young, and even though Bill was _my_ husband. She thought she could offer more. Bill and I... we got into the mother of all fights. The dreams I had for myself didn't fit in with his expectations for me."

"And you needed to be your own person. When did you walk away from Bill?"

"The next day. I also made the hardest choice of my life, too."

Matt could see where this was going. "Was it to leave your son in Louisiana with his father?"

"Uh-huh." Amaya gave a shaky exhale. "I've never stopped loving my boy, but I was just _so_ young back then. My choice to leave him had even been made before I told Bill that I wanted out."

"Then what happened to change your mind?"

Amaya shuddered. "I learned that my daughter was on the way. Bill and I were already strangers to each other by that point. Hostile, too. Like I was going to tell him that another baby was on the way when things were that bad."

"And it sounds like the secret still came out, anyway." Matt reasoned. "What was the response?"

"Bill told me that he never wanted to see me, or meet the new baby. Then he turned on me when I offered to collect Junior at the last second to take him along."

"In what fashion?"

Amaya clenched her hands together in her lap. "My offer to bring Junior with me contradicted what I'd already said earlier about kids needing a stable home life. It couldn't happen if June and I were _both_ around. And since she refused to back off..."

Matt thought fast before before Amaya could start down on a rabbit trail. "I take that you and June have never gotten along? Even before it all went bad?"

"Yes. I haven't seen June since I left New Orleans. She always took the lead in heckling me just for being young." Amaya scowled. "Still... the last straw was had when Bill made a solid threat."

"And what was it?"

"The man threatened to close ranks on me altogether, saying that any return would just confuse Junior. He even got in his version of the last word—he threw his pocket watch at me with full intent to cause harm. It didn't hit me because I caught. I never gave it back. Now it belongs to Virginia. She cherishes the thing."

Matt mulled over Amaya's tale for a few long moments. It was all so much.

But... things were beginning to tall into place.

"I appreciate you sharing so much of your story with us, Amaya. All of that is the prefect breeding ground for bad blood." Matt said kindly. "Will you share what happened after you left Louisiana?"

"I ended up moving to Mississippi because it was all I could afford. Texas had been my first choice, and I took it because I had a baby on the way. Settling as quickly as I could was my main priority. I would not have us homeless."

Matt wanted nothing more than to go home and hold his family now. "And what year was it?"

"1979. I did everything I could to create a fresh start, but it did go all that well because there was a hurricane that year. My town was out of its range. Louisiana was hit hard."

"How hard is hard in this case?" Matt wanted to know.

"It wasn't totally catastrophic, but there was enough damage where I had cause to believe that my ex and my boy perished when I couldn't find a trace of them after. Then again... I couldn't look _too_ hard because Virginia was born six days after the hurricane ended."

"And you kept quiet about your pre-Mississippi life after that. Had it all been a secret until today?"

"Yeah. What I don't get is how my eldest children even _met, _but I think the arrival of Emily into her life is to do with it."

Amaya ran her fingers through her long hair. It was getting harder to keep her emotions in check.

"Now my boy is _alive?_ All I want is to hold him and tell him how sorry I am that I didn't try harder to look for him. I would give anything to do that. If he has a wife and kids, I would love to meet them. But I also understand if they wouldn't want that."

Once more, Matt worked on keeping himself in check. "Those are extremely positive things to hope for. Would you like to take a break before we talk about your marriage to Asher Silas?"

"No, thank you." Amaya answered. "He was much worse than Bill, sir. I just want to get it over with. _Please." _

"Fair enough. Amaya, my team and I have already learned that Asher did real estate, so how about you start by explaining how the two of you met?"

"My company provided an extravagant dessert spread for a massive open house event of his. He wanted to meet the person who made the centerpiece."

"And that was you?"

"Yes. We fell in love, dated, became engaged and then married. Asher even _supported _my career. We were also the same age. Things like that matter to me now. My daughter loved him dearly, and he loved her. We were all so happy then. I even became pregnant more than once..."

Amaya's thought process had clearly derailed again at this point. Something was really bothering her.

"What is it? You're doing really well." Matt told her after letting her have a beat to think.

"Real estate was Asher's world, not mine." Amaya reflected. "I was mostly seen as the equally-rich wife on his arm at smart parties, meaning that I couldn't begin to know all that Asher did. He also didn't share a lot because he knew I didn't find it interesting. But he did go to Atlantic City to gamble a lot."

"Did you ever tag along?"

Amaya shook her head. "No. I stay out of casinos because I've been accused of card counting on multiple occasions."

"Do you?"

"Hell, no." a small smile of amusement flickered across Amaya's face. "The ubiquitous 'they' say I cheat at cards, to which I say that I've always been stupidly good at all things math and that I've obtained PhDs in that area and in chemistry."

Matt asked, "You have _two_ PhDs? Why didn't you mention that? I could have been addressing you as 'Doctor Rainer' this whole time."

"There's also an additional degree in philosophy. I earned it last year. People start asking ridiculous questions about why I became a chocolatier when I know the things I do."

Amaya cleared her throat.

"Let's never mind that. Sometime back, Asher got in trouble because a client he vouched for completely tanked. He ended up being on thin ice for the rest of his life. And he went from being perfectly normal to incredibly mean."

Though Matt had a sinking feeling, he still asked a tried question. "What happened there?"

Amaya sat up straight in her seat. All ounces of sadness, wanting to remember the fond times, becoming lost in old memories had vanished. Now she seemed regal. Majestic.

"In my office, you asked why I wasn't invested in hearing about an update on the case. Well... I'm sure you can understand why one wouldn't have sympathy for the actual devil. Your _abuser..."_

Matt felt the biggest lurch of pity and sympathy. No one on the team had profiled this. He couldn't even think of how to respond.

Amaya went on. "I lost a baby to that man that I didn't even realize was there until it was too late. Halo would be ten this year. Things were a blur in the years after that, but..."

"Talk it out." Matt prompted. "No answer is wrong."

"The man upstairs laughed at me when I swore I'd never have another baby after Halo because I did. Jubilation Adele Jennifer is in our lives now. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body. It's just..."

"Talk it out." Matt repeated.

Amaya still sounded like she was going through an actual epiphany. "I don't know why I didn't think about this when the detectives asked me during the original investigation. Asher's company really _was_ in the hole. I started learning more than I wanted because it was all he could talk about. His abuse was verbal by that point, and please don't think that I never tried to fend him off because I did—he was just unpredictable."

"Nobody is going to look down on you. I promise. I believe you. So does everyone on my team, too." Matt said smoothly. "Things were jumbled for you because you were in shock _and _pregnant. Did an old memory just pop in to your brain?"

"Yes. When I was at the six month mark, the abuse just... _stopped."_

"How unusual. What do you remember?"

Amaya thought about it. "Asher came home from work, and we all made it through a civil evening together. Then..."

Matt waited for Amaya to complete her thought. She was on the verge of something. But what?

"Then," Amaya repeated. "Asher went to work. Several hours later, I was receiving the call that the he was dead. But why didn't I think of this back _then?_ It was the night before he died!"

And everyone watched as the might Doctor Amaya Elle Jo Rainer began to spin out.

This was going to be a long conversation.

Yet again on the other side of the glass, Emily held herself back from going to help. Matt was doing an excellent job of things by himself. He was always a good man in a storm. At the moment, it would be awhile before Amaya would find her way back to port. But Matt could handle that.

So... that just left Emily to wonder if Rossi was having better luck with Virginia.

* * *

**I see you all clamoring for a certain two characters to interact. Don't worry ;) **


	49. Chapter 49

Rossi hoped that talking with Virginia would be easy. He had the impression that she was a wildcard.

The woman herself was lost in thought as she prepared her talking points. But she was quick to snap out of it when she heard Rossi on the approach. Her hearing was in the supersonic range.

A smile was on her face when Rossi entered the office and gave her her lemon tea.

"David Rossi!" she chirped, taking the drink. "How nice to see you one-on-one. I've read all your books."

He pulled his desk chair around to face her. "And I've read yours. My daughter has, too."

Virginia smiled at this. "Hey, I hope you don't mind me being in your office."

"Nope. I was actually hoping to speak with you." Rossi watched Virginia enjoy her beverage and then offered her a coaster when she began looking for a place to put her mug. "They tell me I'm a good listener. I've got as much time as you need."

Virginia set her drink on the edge of the desk and indicated the numerous USMC awards and commendations on the walls around the room. "You've served?"

Rossi nodded. "Vietnam. I was a sergeant major, but I'm retired now. Where you in the service?"

"Mhm. I'm also retired, but I was in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Somalia. My rank was gunnery sergeant by the end." Virginia paused. "Can I ask you something?"

"Fire away."

"In the service, did you learn skills that didn't pertain to your area of expertise, but you still benefitted from, anyhow?"

"Yes." Rossi said solidly. "I was very fast, and shockingly good at stealth. What about you?"

Virginia tapped her ear. "I developed very keen hearing. Still have it to this day. My XO also saw a lot of potential in me, and put me through intense training to improve my marksmanship. It paid off. I was a sniper."

This last part took Rossi by surprise. "Wow. You have my utmost respect, Virginia."

"Thank you. I became a detective after the service, but I was forced into early retirement because I was shot in the line of duty while protecting someone. That event put me in the chair. I haven't fired a gun since the day I was hurt, but... I was damn good at what I did. There was just one person who never approved of any of it."

Now we're getting somewhere, thought Rossi. "Your stepfather?"

"Yes. He was _really_ mean, but so far as I know, he didn't cheat or try drugs. That's no excuse..."

"But those were his limits?"

Virginia nodded. "Yes. But the worst was that he abused my mother. He was always at it when I wasn't around, but there came a tipping point."

"You decided to stand up to him?"

"Yes. Mother did her best, but Asher was deceptively strong." Virginia shifted in her chair. "The worst was when she called me from the hospital one day. I won't even say what happened, but I found Asher later that day."

Rossi continued to watch her. "Something tells me that you read him the Riot Act."

"Damn straight. I told him that he'd be sorry if I ever learned of him raising a hand to my mother again. He stopped, but..."

"Yes? What happened?"

"Things took a super sharp left turn when they found out that my youngest sister was on the way."

Rossi arched an eyebrow. "Did they have a honeymoon phase once they got past the shock?"

"Yes, but that only ended when they found out that the baby was going to be a girl." Virginia recalled. "Asher believed that having sons would be better. Bastard."

Rossi felt pity. "A stepdaughter and two younger daughters weren't enough?"

"No. And he made sure that we knew." Virginia blanched. "I had to have another talk with him."

Rossi was fascinated. "And what did you say this time?"

"That I was documenting everything, and if he did cross any of us again, I wouldn't need my combat skills to make his death look like an accident. Asher was dead not long after."

"Does Amaya know any of this?" Rossi asked gently.

Virginia shook her head. "She does not. I did my part to protect Amaya because she's also my best friend, but there's no way I could ever let her find out. She probably thinks there's a gaping hole."

"I imagine so. You were obviously cleared, but you've now been carrying the secret around ever since. I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that you tagged along with Amaya because you wanted to make sure we knew about this particular closet skeleton?"

"Correct. I saw an opportunity and I seized it." Virginia changed gears. "Look, I know about Will's mission to uncover the missing pieces from his past. And I know that the team is on it."

Rossi was unperturbed. "Oh? And when did you learn about it?"

"Last night. My son and I were at the LaMontagne house for dinner. They and Emily also told me about June."

"Do you know her?"

Virginia shook her head. "No, but I promised Emily and the LaMontagnes that I would do what I could to help."

"I appreciate that, Virginia." Rossi offered her a kind smile. "You've been very helpful. Would you like to see Will?"

Virginia's heart skipped a beat. "Excuse me? I imagine Primrose will know about June before long, but were she and Will assigned to this new case?"

Rossi took his phone from his jacket pocket. "They were."

"Well, then yes. I would love to see my big brother. A hug from him is just what I need."

Without further adieu, Rossi dialed a familiar number.

Penelope was fast to pick up. "Hello, sir! Will and I have made some serious headway!"

"Fantastic. Virginia is asking for her brother. How about you send him over here to my office?"

"Will do."

Rossi thanked her and hung up.

"So my brother is on the way?" Virginia asked him.

"Yes. He'll be here in a few moments."

Will departed Penelope's company on the double. The second he'd learned that Virginia was asking for him, his priorities has changed. His little sister needed him.

"Are you in trouble?" the question was out his mouth from the moment he stepped foot in Rossi's office.

"No." Virginia said. "I just want a hug from my big brother."

Rossi chimed in, "Virginia has just shared some very interesting things. Now she needs a bit of a reassurance."

Will hugged Virginia and then held her out at arm's length. "I have your back. Now. Always. That will never change, V. All of this will turn out for the best. You'll see."

"Thanks, Will." Virginia told him. "I needed to hear that."

"Anything for my sister."

In the interrogation room, Amaya had finally regained control of all her faculties. Matt had been very patient with her. She had been a veritable fount of information.

When the conversation was over, Matt could tell that there was one last thought bouncing around in his acquaintance's head.

"Ask the question you're thinking." he said as they rose to their feet. "It's okay."

Amaya looked at him. "The only thing I need right now is to see my son. Is arranging something like that out of your peoples' jurisdiction?"

"Actually—"

The interrogation room opened to showcase JJ in the doorway. Emily had given her permission to go in after an incoming text from Rossi. Will had come up with the idea on his own to ask for Amaya. Rossi relayed this information to Emily, who then relayed it to JJ. It was all _she _could do to not reveal her whole identity to her mother-in-law. That would be jumping the gun.

"Amaya, Will is in the building. He's really close by. I've also had word that he wants to see you."

Amaya gaped at her. "Are you pulling my leg?"

"No way. That's just mean." JJ returned. "He is very close by here. Do you want to see him?"

"Yes, but..." and out came nervous babbling about being unsure. This was going to take awhile.

On the other side of the glass, Emily sent a response to Rossi. _A is in. Move her children to my office, please. Close the blinds. JJ & I will be there with her before long. _

Rossi's answer was fast. _Alright. We're moving now._

Emily stuck her phone in her pocket, issuing orders to Spencer, Tara, Luke, and Primrose as she went. They scattered quickly.

Matt and JJ emerged from the other room, the door closing of its own accord behind them.

"Good job." Emily said to Matt. "You really got Amaya to open up."

JJ nodded in agreement. "Please go touch base with Penelope and ask her to run all the new terms Amaya mentioned."

"Okay. I can go do that."

Matt tossed Amaya's empty paper coffee cup in a nearby trash bin and showed himself out.

JJ opened opened the door the interior space and beckoned for Amaya to join them.

She gave her a friendly smile as she obeyed the instructions. "JJ, right?"

"Yes. I heard everything." JJ told her. "Even the part when you mentioned that Jubilation's other middle name is Jennifer. That's _my_ first name."

"How about that? We mostly call her AJ for short, since her first middle name is Adele. She really loves it."

JJ smiled. "That's really sweet. Will is in Emily's office. Virginia is there, too. You ready?"

"I am." Amaya said firmly. "Should I close my eyes?"

"Go for it." JJ decided. "We'll make sure you don't bump into anything."

Over in Emily's office, Will also had his eyes closed, so JJ and Emily were quick to close the door behind them. Virginia was already watching.

"Okay." Emily said softly.

Will followed through first, and felt his heart turn a cartwheel. Amaya was gorgeous. It was also clear that he had inherited a lot of his looks from her. They had similar features. The same eyes. The same smile. Even the same stance. But what stood out for Will the most was not his mother's bright clothes and cool shoes. It was that her hair was a bright _turquoise_ color. What was the true shade? Even that added an extra layer of intrigue.

He fell to his knees. _"Mom?"_

Amaya approached him. "Oh, my boy. My _handsome_ boy. Will you let me sit with you?"

"Yes." Will nodded. "Please."

Amaya sat with her son on the office floor, and for the first time in decades, she held him close.

"Where have you been all this time?" Will asked when the hug ended.

Amaya pulled no punches. "I've been all over the place, William. _All_ over. If I had known you were so close."

"You're here _now_. That's what matters. Only that."

"I promise I will treat you and your sisters to dinner, were everyone will be told the truth. Each of you deserves that. You also deserve to enjoy a meal together. I can provide that now." Amaya spoke from the heart when she realized that her son wasn't angry. "The rest of the story is a tad bizarre."

Will met her with patience. "Please try me."

"Things between your father and I were pure toxic to the point where I just couldn't stay. It was killing me. Not a day went by that I didn't think of you. There was also a hurricane some some months after I let. In the aftermath, I had every reason to believe that you and your father had perished." Amaya explained. "Now I see that that wasn't the case."

"But you believed it because that's what the authorities told you. Did you look?"

"Yes. I was only interested in finding you, but I did look. A _lot_. My efforts were forced to come to a stop because Virginia was born less than a week after the disaster's ending."

"Which meant that you had to move on." Will concluded.

"I'm afraid so. Are you mad at me?"

"I'm _relieved." _Will spoke the latter word with great emphasis while promising to himself to call her later for another conversation, one where they wouldn't have an audience. "Ever since you left... I always wondered if you would want to even just be my friend if we crossed paths again. Or if you would want me in the lives of any more kids you should have."

"I absolutely _do_ want to be your friend, and I can't wait to hear how you bumped into your sister. D.C. isn't _that_ small." Amaya looked curiously at her son. "Why are you here already? At the FBI?"

Will pointed to his badge, secured on his belt. "I grew up to go into law enforcement. Just like dad. Just like Virginia. This job is all I ever wanted."

Amaya beamed. "That's amazing, and I am _so _proud of you. What rank do you hold?"

"I'm a lieutenant now, with Metro PD. My partner and I were assigned this case awhile ago _because_ it was cold." he stood. "The original detectives have since retired."

"I see." Amaya let Will pull her to her feet when he offered the help. "Do you..."

It was clear that she was faltering. But the question on her mind was easy enough to guess.

"You're asking if I have a family now." Will crossed the room to where the others were gathered. "I do. This is them."

Amaya joined them, her brow furrowed. "Virginia is already your sister..."

"A fact which I love because she's very cool." Will touched the shoulders of the next person. "Emily here is also very cool. She's as good a my sister, and... she's also saved me from certain death before. I would be dead right now if not for her."

Amaya looked at Emily in surprise. "Do I even want to know?"

Emily laughed nervously. "Not without alcohol in reach."

Her words fell short. Everyone heard it. Emily had elected at the last second to not tell Amaya about her visit from the stork. Amaya already had enough on her plate. Anything else just now would tip the scales too much. Hopefully Virginia would be cool with it.

"I've been hearing firsthand and secondhand stories about you for ages now," Amaya said with some scrutiny. "And that means I've heard about your tendency to be a little squirrelly on occasion. Will I be finding out whatever it is you're not saying?"

"Yes," Emily said with measured speech. "But not today."

"That's fair enough. I'll take it."

She moved on to JJ.

"All of this just leaves _you,_ my dear. You've been very quiet."

JJ smiled serenely. "I've just been watching, taking it all in."

This piqued Amaya's curiosity. "Does all of this make you my son's wife?"

"Yes!" JJ leaned against Will when he stood behind her. "It's been seven years and counting, but we've been together for the last twelve."

"I'm overjoyed to hear that." Amaya held the LaMontagnes' hands in hers. "One of the last things I said when I left was that my hope for Will was that he would have the best life possible. I also hoped that he would have a family of his own. Looks like that wish came true. I just have one more question."

"Do you and Will have kids?"

"Yes!" JJ passed her a particular framed picture from Emily's desk. "These are our boys."

Amaya took the picture in hand and examined it. Her heart turned to putty over the sight of her grandsons.

"They're beautiful." she turned her gaze back on the LaMontagnes. "What are their names?"

"Henry Isaac and Michael Jesse. They're ten and three, as well as the lights of our lives." JJ framed her middle. "We also found out that they're going to be big brothers twice over. Both of them are ecstatic."

Amaya's heart wobbled. "Would it be alright if I met Henry and Michael?"

"Yes." Will said. "We would really love that, and for you to learn about the rest of JJ's family because it's big, but…"

Amaya connected the dots. "It has to wait until after this case. I understand that."

"But," JJ said brightly. "There is nothing wrong with taking a family picture of everyone in this room. You can show your daughters later."

Amaya agreed that this was a very good idea.

One family picture later, the Rainers were packing up to leave the building.

Virginia sighed. "I guess we've said all there is to say."

Emily nodded. "Yes, but many blanks were filled in, thanks you and your mother."

Virginia breathed a sigh of relief.

Amaya sidled up to Emily. "Who is going to drive us back down to my work building?"

"Don't worry. One of us will take care of that." Emily told her. "Let's just get you back out into the bullpen, first. There's one more person you should be formally introduced to."

At this, Will intercepted his mother. "She's talking about my partner. Primrose is cool, too. She's around here somewhere."

Mother and son left the office. JJ brought up the rear.

Emily spoke gently to Virginia. "How are _you?_ This has also got to be doing a number on your head."

"That's for sure. All I feel is happy," Virginia looked up Emily. "But I notice that you didn't mention dear Eden."

"Yeah," Emily raked her fingernails over her middle. "But I think Amaya's got enough on plate, wouldn't you say?"

Virginia nodded when she realized what her girlfriend was driving at. "That's a good point. But I don't think she'll be able to stay hidden long enough."

Emily's blouse was only _just_ obscuring her baby bump.

"Good point. We'll tell Amaya in very due course."

"Yes. I like that plan." Virginia's tone softened up. "Do you realize what this all mens?"

Emily forced herself to remain in the present. "Hm?"

"Somewhere along the way, you were meant to be part of this crazy family _and_ part of the journey that we're on."

"Sometimes the universe really has fun ways of looking out for us. I definitely agree with what you just said." Emily responded. "I'm with you, Ace. For everything."

"Thank you, Emelise. I love knowing that." Virginia began maneuvering her chair towards the door. "Let's go out. I also want to see Primrose."

They found everyone adjacent to the bullpen doors.

JJ proceeded to flag down a passing agent, instructing her to bring the Rainers to their next stop. She obliged and left to get ready. Primrose excused herself to call her CO with a progress report. The group then waited together by the elevators for the agent. All of them were just enjoying each other's company. It was very nice. But too fleeting.

When they had gone, JJ turned to her husband. "Are you going to be okay?"

Will nodded. "I am."

Emily patted her friend on the shoulder. "Just what we want to hear. Please go find the others. We'll be there soon."

The lieutenant understood and made his way back in the BAU area.

Emily and JJ were alone again.

"Virginia told me that she thinks it was meant to be, me coming into the whole big thing." Emily told her partner.

"She's right. This—you and I going from friends to family overnight—totally was." JJ said thoughtfully. "I'm part of it because I married Will. Now_ you're_ part of it because you're with Virginia. How's that for wild?"

_"__Very_ wild, but just as wonderful." Emily said with optimism.

JJ nodded and straightened a wrinkle in her shirt. "Are you ready to go be a profiler?"

Emily really wanted to say no—she just wanted to stay in the moment where she didn't have a head-scratching case. But reality called. As always.

"I sure am. Let's go be the profilers that we are. The sooner we get this case behind us, the sooner we can go be with our new family."

"Amen to that." JJ said as they strolled across the lobby and back into the bullpen. "Family is everything, and friends are the family you choose. Now let's go work with the one we have _here_ to get to the bottom of this mystery."


	50. Chapter 50

Emily and JJ decided to go check on Penelope after the Rainers left. They asked Will to tag along. What neither agent expected was for Penelope to look sheepish.

They found her in the secondary work room. Before her on the table were Chase McCann's destroyed phone and laptop, both now somewhat restored. She also had a laptop of her own. The research program was open.

Emily sighed. "What's that look for?"

"Obviously, Will and I have made progress on McCann's electronics. That in and of itself is a bit of a lead. I say we get brownie points. The _bad_ news is that I have a lead that will mean sending someone outside."

The rainy weather had only worsened. No end was in sight.

JJ sighed what would not be her last sigh of the day. "Fine."

Emily said, "Is there another lead buried somewhere in there?"

Penelope nodded showed them on her own computer a mugshot of a young Japanese man. He appeared very bored of the circumstances. As if being arrested was no big deal.

"Here we have one Shota Ito. He was arrested in connection for the crimes we're investigating now, and he actually just did two years at the county jail."

"Please tell me there's a middle section to that's missing." JJ said. "Only two years in connection to murder seems a little strange."

"Correct. The authorities couldn't find any solid proof about the murders, but the only 'connection' they found was that he was arrested near the site of Asher Silas' dead body. He also had playing cards on his person."

"And _those _have been found on each body." recalled Will. "They're a calling card, in addition to the feathered arrows."

Emily put her hands in a 'time-out' position. "What did Ito actually spend time at county for?"

"He had cocaine in his pocket when he was arrested. The good head of administration at the jail even let him out for good behavior. Ito was released two days ago."

"Have you seen anything that could suggest where he could be right now?"

Penelope nodded. "He's unemployed, but there is an establishment in town he seems to hang out at."

JJ asked, "How do you know he's been making purchases if he just got out of jail?"

"The local mayor just okayed a pilot program where every person released for good behavior is issued a prepaid charge card. Apparently, cash in a bad idea."

"How good are those charge cards good for?"

Penelope consulted notes on her tablet. "Ninety days, if the funds are budgeted wisely."

"Where has he been making charges, then?"

"A pool hall called The Dragon's Kin. It's run by his older brother, Haru Ito."

"Any relatives in the area?"

"None have come to light during my fact-finding. They are each other's only living relatives." Penelope said.

JJ looked to Emily. "Someone should go check the place out."

Emily nodded. "That's a good idea."

And their eyes fell to Will.

He stood. "Just give me the green light, and I'll get out of here with Primrose."

"Go find her." Emily decided. "Please fetch Luke, too. Bring them back here."

Will exited on the double.

"I'm seeing that you two want to get on that straight away." Penelope spread an arm of indication over the whole table. "There is enough to give a proper update to everyone else."

"Well done."

JJ merely made a humming sound, like she was trying not to swear. It wasn't a sound she made often because she wasn't shy about profanity when her sons weren't around. This was different.

Penelope called her on it. "What is it?"

"I just feel like we're missing something," JJ confessed. "And it's either going to hit us in a hail of bullets, or…"

"Yes?" Emily prompted.

JJ sighed. "Or… this part of the mess actually does lead to June's front door."

"Let's just pray it doesn't go there."

Will arrived with Primrose and Luke in tow. "I found them."

"Good." Emily told him.

Emily spoke to Penelope again. "Send the information for the pool hall to Luke."

This information was followed through on very fast. Penelope also sent a picture of Shota Ito for good measure.

When Luke confirmed the text came through, JJ told him, "We need for you three to go that address and check it out. It's a pool hall. Will can explain who you're looking for and why."

Luke tucked his phone away again. "Anything else?"

JJ shook her head.

So did Emily. "Stay dry."

The others chuckled humorlessly because there was a very slim chance of this happening.

When the rest of the team arrived into the work room, it suddenly felt very crowded.

Matt looked around. "Where did Luke, Will, and Primrose go?"

"They are gone." Emily said firmly. "A lead came up."

"We'll explain that in a minute." JJ confirmed. "Right now, it's time to yield the floor to Penelope."

So they did.

"Whoever it was that smashed McCann's things, they did so with steel-toed boots. Everything was reduced to smithereens at the crime scene." Penelope said. "Will and I were luckily able to resurrect _some_ information."

She then connected the phone to the room's projector with an auxiliary cable. This action in turn displayed the phone screen on the opposite wall. What they saw was a text message.

Spencer sighed as he said, "This doesn't sound good. _'Stay the hell out of our den. $20K should be more than enough.' _What's what about?"

"Sounds ominous." Tara shivered. "Is there a timestamp that shows when it was read?"

Penelope shook her head. "I wish. The sending phone was a burner."

JJ rubbed her temples. "Then one of us will have to check in with Will or Primrose about the time of death. At least that will help us narrow things down."

Rossi spoke up. "So that's that. Is there anything else to be gained from the phone, Penelope?"

"No. Twinkle Toes Anonymous did a real number, sir."

"So talk to us about the laptop. What else did you and Will resurrect?"

Penelope sighed; what she had to say next was going to sound absurd. "Will found the next tidbit. It isn't much, but…"

Everyone said her name together as one. "Penelope!"

"Okay, okay!" she hurriedly unplugged the phone from the cable and swapped it out for the laptop. "One second."

The image projected on the wall was that of the laptop's flickering home screen. It fractured very badly, and they could only just make out what they were seeing.

Matt looked closer. "This is the reminder application. Why use it on the computer? Most people use reminder apps on their phones."

"It probably _is_ on the phone," huffed Penelope. "But it's currently in oblivion, huh?"

Emily patted Penelope on the shoulder as she read the message aloud for herself. "It says_ 'Dragon's Kin, tomorrow.'_ That's both specific and not specific enough. But are you kidding me?"

"What?" Rossi, Matt, Tara, and Spencer in wary unison.

JJ rolled her eyes. "The Dragon's Kin is where we just sent everyone else!"

* * *

The BAU trio travelled into D.C. using one of the innumerable SUVs from the FBI carpool on the building's grounds. Luke drove. Primrose rode shotgun beside him. Will sat in the back passenger seat. His thoughts were on the Rainers. He just wanted to see them again. And meet the ones he hadn't.

* * *

"Here we are." Luke announced after some time.

Will and Primrose watched as Luke parked the car outside pool hall. Even in the rain, something seemed... off. This was further confirmed when they found the establishment to be as tight as a drum. Totally locked. Each of them pulled their service weapons out and took the safety guards off. They didn't want this to be too easy.

"Be on your guard." Luke said warily. "Something is really wrong here."

"That's for damn sure." Will muttered.

"Be quiet." hissed Primrose after looking through a window. "It's dark in there, but I _definitely _found someone running to the back of the building."

And they ventured around the side. Each person was ready for a fight. None of them had any idea how this was going to end.

Suddenly, Primrose halted. Her body language changed. It became rigid and actually poised for a confrontation. They were close… to whatever it was that was happening.

Just on the other side of the building and not too far from their current position, they heard voices. Lots of them. Shouting. Jeering.

Luke rushed around the corner of the building first and called out, "FBI! Put your hands up!"

Most of the gang ran into the rain-soaked alley for the opposite road. Two more dashed into an open door that led back into the building. Will and Primrose gave chase. Hopefully, they could catch them. A gang beating had been interrupted.

Luke almost went to join Will and Primrose, but there was a problem.

A young man lay at his feet. He had been beaten hard, and was even bleeding out from a few stab wounds. What caused Luke to immediately get on his knees in the dreary weather was his recognition of who this person happened to be.

_Shota Ito._

"Who did this to you?" Luke asked.

Ito beckoned to him, even though life was rapidly draining from his body. He would give his dying words if he could. Even if it was to an FBI agent.

His words came out in a rasp. "Ask… June…"

Shota expired before Luke was able to do anything more.

Nearby, Primrose burst through the side door and hurried over to her colleague. Her update was not helpful.

"We chased two of the jackals to a basement, but they got away through another exit. We also found something else. I just want to know about what's happening _here." _she nodded in indication towards the body.

Luke sighed and joined her under the overhand. "That, my friend, is Shota Ito."

Primrose shook her head in dismay. "Jesus, Joseph, and Mary. Did he say anything?"

"I kid you not, his last words were, "Ask June." Can this get any crazier?"

"Well… yes."

Luke looked at Primrose in exasperation. _"How?"_

Primrose indicated the building. "We found a literal treasure trove in the basement. So much diamonds and cash. Will is on the horn with Emily now."

Luke immediately realized that as an FBI agent, he was the highest-ranking person at the scene, so he thought like one. "Do you have the number for the medical examiner? We don't usually beat them to the dead body."

Primrose cleared her throat as she pulled her phone from her pocket. "Yes. I'll call Esmé now. My captain, too. Hang on."

Meanwhile, Will was in the pool hall's basement. He and Primrose really had found a treasure trove. They had chased two of the people from the alley into the back of the building and down into a basement, whose entrance had been concealed behind a hidden bookcase. Will would have laughed if this hadn't been so real. This day was turning out to be something else.

It seemed as if everyone from the pool hall had been in this hidden room. Counting the scores of loot on the tables. Will had literally never seen so much money in his life. But how had the people known they were coming? Had they made a connection through Chase? Why did they have so much money in the first place? And why _diamonds?_ Who the hell used those, outside of people from the criminal underworld?

Everything happening had the markings one thing.

Then Will found it. "Holy mother of God..."

Quickly, he backed out of the room and took a moment to process everything. _What_ had they found?

He withdrew his phone from his pocket and enacted the FaceTime option.

Emily picked up quickly on her tablet. She was in her office.

The team had since dispersed to work on what angles they could. Much of the next phase of the case hinged on any type of update from their people at The Dragon's Kin. JJ sat with Emily in her office. They sat together on the sofa as they discussed what to do next.

A particular electronic chime brought their conversation to a halt.

"That's your tablet." JJ said in surprise. "Who is calling? Ten to one, it isn't your girlfriend."

Emily chuckled and retrieved the tablet from her end table. She immediately pressed 'ACCEPT' when she saw who was calling. This was going to be good.

"Will, what's wrong?" she asked when she saw him. "You handed me a life-changing case the last time you initiated a video chat."

He nodded. "The sense of déja vù is not lost on me, Emelise. Where is my wife?"

JJ immediately moved into view. "Are you all still at The Dragon's Kin?"

"Yes, but everything has been like a runaway freight train." Will admitted. "Any _more_ news would just make the whole situation a dumpster fire."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Will told them about The Dragon's Kin being closed, and about the scattering of the gangsters. The only reason he didn't mentioned anything about Ito yet was because he didn't know.

"And… there's one other thing…"

JJ arched an eyebrow at her husband. "What else could there even be, Will? You already mentioned gangsters, cash, and even actual diamonds. Only two other things would be missing."

Emily nodded. "Girls or weapons."

"It's weapons, in this case."

JJ blanched. "How many?"

"I spotted a wall full before I backed out." Will said hurriedly. "But… I wouldn't be surprised if there are more. Right now, I'm standing by the stairwell that leads to the room."

"That's good work." Emily told him. "Where are Luke and Primrose?"

"Outside. Prim has probably called our captain by now."

"That's fine. Better an ally to contain it than an outsider. Of course this means she'll probably end up coming to Quantico. Do you think you can handle that?"

Will nodded seriously. "I can do th—"

He was cut off by the arrival of Primrose.

"Will, I—" But she stopped when she saw who he was on the line with.

"It's okay. I have JJ and Emily on video chat." Will showed her the phone. "And where is Luke right now?"

Primrose told all of them the rest of the account.

"What the hell?" JJ and Emily cried together as she finished.

Primrose shrugged. "It's what went down. Don't shoot the messenger. Our captain is also out there now, and so is our medical examiner. I called them both."

"Good thinking." said Emily. "Has Luke provided a statement?"

"He is doing so with an officer now."

"Then please have your captain get in touch with me, and please relay to Luke that I want him to stay at the scene."

Primrose conveyed her understanding. "Because he's FBI. Got it."

She excused herself away and headed back outside.

Will turned his attention back to his wife and her boss. "I'll stay here to secure things and to fight off any potential press, but I just have one question."

JJ seemed to be reading his mind. "You're thinking about June?"

"Yeah. Someone still has to tell her that her only child is dead."

"We have it under control." Emily told him.

Will felt reassured. "Okay. See you two later."

They waved good-bye, and Emily ended the connection first.

"Go ahead and say it." she set her tablet aside again. "I can see those 'judging you' eyes from here."

"You're damn right I'm judging you. 'We have it under control?' That's bold."

Emily didn't miss a beat. "It's better than having Will distracted when we don't have anything solid right now."

JJ simmered back down. "Where is Penelope?"

"Oh, speak of the angel, and she _shall_ appear!" came a voice.

Penelope had arrived, and was walking in, with her iPad in hand again.

"Do you have what we need?" Emily asked her.

Penelope nodded as she came to stand in front of them. "I snooped a little bit more around June McCann."

"Did any server detect you?" pressed JJ.

"Uh-uh. I was very sneaky. Just like you asked, I looked to see if there was anything besides this godawful rain that would stop one of us from going to see June today."

"What did you come up with?"

Penelope checked the screen of her device. "It has come to my attention that she's undergone emergency surgery."

JJ was taken aback.

Emily blanched. "That's unfortunate. What was the reason?"

"Appendicitis. That's going to take time to recover from, given that she already lives with a terrible progressive disease."

JJ absently touched the lower side of her midriff. "My appendix was taken out when I was a kid because it _burst." _

"Chicken pox, age four." Penelope lamented. "How old were you?"

"Seven."

Emily completed the circle. "I contracted laryngitis when I was ten. My voice was just _gone_ for a long time. Ask my parents."

JJ checked her watch. It was getting on in the day. If they didn't produce any actual progress by four, they would spend the intervening time doing paperwork until five. Clocking out time. It was a standard rule for when they worked cases out of Quantico. She hoped it wasn't going to be a dead-end kind of day. But it probably was.

Oh, well. They could start with fresh eyes in the morning.

Coming back to reality, she said to Emily, "How about we go deliver the sergeants' updates?"

"Okay." Emily rose. "It's better than nothing."

JJ also got to her feet. "I'm forced to agree on that."

Penelope asked, "What was that about Will and Primrose?"

JJ told her about the part of the conversation she had missed.

Emily just walked behind them a few paces. For only a few moments, she let her mind wander. And of course it landed on Virginia. Maybe she would see her clocktower family tonight. Wouldn't that be nice?


	51. Chapter 51

The day eventually went from bad to worse. Just like a movie.

All of the rain washed anything of use from the crime scene. CSU also didn't find much. They were also in for an actual rainstorm.

And there was no sign of the gangsters. It was as if they had vanished into thin air.

The call from the medical examiner was also unhelpful. A massive car pileup had occurred on the Beltway, bringing with it an unfortunate fatality number. It also meant that the new bodies had priority over Ito's did.

And there also remained the burning question: _how had the people at the pool hall known they were coming?_

The evidence found found by Will and Primrose had been turned over to ATF.

Nothing had come of trying to figure out where the bird feather on the end of McCann's murder weapon had come from. Even Penelope was drawing blanks.

Tara's recollection of the yakuza member she had encountered fell dramatically short. He had died in jail during a jail brawl, six months after the interview.

Emily was already beginning to feel that that the director would tell her to be shelving the case, for all the lack of progress they had.

Going home to recharge was in order.

* * *

Emily leaned back in her seat and looked to her middle. "Oh, Eden, just be glad you're not out in the world yet. It must be so cozy in there. Do you think we should call on mama and brother now?"

Her words were still hanging in the air when her phone rang. Virginia's name was on the screen.

"I was just thinking about you." Emily said after greeting her girlfriend. "What's up, my love?"

"I _do_ want to talk to you about something," Virginia told her. "But it isn't anything to worry about. How is Eden?"

"Bored." Emily glided a hand over her baby bump to feel it. "She hates when I'm cooped up behind my desk like I am right now. I think she's hungry, too. This kid wiggles nonstop."

"Zion did that to me." Virginia said sympathetically. "I'm sure Eden is going to level out soon. How are the LaMontagnes doing? Truthbombs were dropped on them."

"I haven't seen Will for awhile, but he's doing really well. So is JJ."

"That counts for a lot." Virginia said proudly. "Our family is very strong."

"Yes, it is. I do have a bit of shop talk for you."

Virginia grew curious. "What would that be?"

"June lives a half-hour from here in a home, Ace, and she isn't doing well." Emily sighed. "It's Alzheimers. Today, she even underwent a surgical procedure."

"Wow. That's too bad. But at least that's one part of the surgical procedure locked in place. June isn't a phantom." Virginia looked out of her office window. "Emily, what time do you get off today?"

"At five."

This took Virginia by surprise. "Really? Why?"

"The day had been two steps forward and a fifteen steps back. All I want is to be with my family."

"It's like you can read my mind. The whole reason I was calling you to stay the night." purred Virginia. "The LaMontagnes have probably on an even faster coaster."

Her undertone suggested that Emily and the LaMontagnes needed space from each other.

"I am so there." Emily returned. "But... I am _always_ down for a night with you and Zy."

"Then what time shall I expect you?" Virginia asked. "I can go start dinner."

"Let's clock it for six. You've seen the roads today."

Virginia nodded. "Yes. Are you taking the train?"

"I'm going to elect against that," Emily decided. "And see if the LaMontagnes can drop me off. They won't mind."

"Okay, great. I can't wait to see you."

Emily's heart fluttered. "And _I_ can't wait to see _you _then. I love you."

Virginia's put a hand to her own heart as it fluttered at the sound of those three words. "I love you, too."

They hung up.

Five o'clock approached very suddenly after that. But Emily was just fine on that front.

"Em?" JJ walking in.

"Hey." Emily paused in gathering her things. "I was just going to going to ask you something."

"Well, you have me now. Fire away."

"Virginia just called, and she invited me to stay the night."

"And that's why you have that." JJ pointed to Emily's go bag, atop her desk. "I was actually coming to tell _you_ that we're giving Primrose a lift home. Would you like a lift to Virginia's?"

Emily grinned. "Please and thank you. I really appreciate that. Her place is just past the train station."

"Then I'll go tell Will and Prim. By the way, I'm so happy that you found Virginia. You glow at any mention of her."

"Thank you, Jennifer. That is incredibly sweet. Go find the others. I'll be along in a minute."

JJ nodded in understanding and excused herself away from the room again.

* * *

The trip back into D.C. took about as long as Emily had posited.

"Wow." JJ looked up at the Rainers' building. "They live here?"

Emily nodded. "Yep. I'll see all of you tomorrow. Hug the boys for me?"

"You bet."

Everyone watched as Emily exited into the rain towards the building, closing the car door behind her as she went. They drove away when they spotted their friend make it safely inside.

Primrose's house was just a few blocks after that.

Even in the rain, it didn't take the LaMontagnes too much longer to get home afterwards.

They gave their sons extra big hugs the night. Being with Henry and Michael always made them happy. They were in for a quiet night.

Or at least… what _they _considered quiet.

* * *

"Cough it up. Why are you so jittery?"

It was getting on in the night. Dinner and dessert had been consumed. Enjoyed. Cleaned up. Bills had been paid. Evening chores accomplished. The house was armed for the night.

Michael was asleep. Henry was around. Somewhere.

But… Will was acting very fidgety.

He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Amaya and I exchanged numbers earlier. She said she's going to call me after she puts Jubilation to bed and gets a little more work done."

"I'm glad you two are connecting." JJ gently squeezed Will's biceps in an effort to keep him grounded. "How are _you?_ Just last night, you were saying that you wanted to meet your mother, but not yet. It was really thrusted upon you, Will. None of this can be easy for you."

"It's true, but you heard me in Emily's office earlier—I forgave Amaya and I meant it. But I am adjusting." Will gave his wife a kiss. "At the same time, I'm still totally thrilled. My mother is back in my life. My _mother. _She also actually wants to be my friend. That's all I wanted. Now I've gotten even _more_ because I also have _sisters."_

JJ smiled happily. She was thrilled for the positive changes on Will's life, but she also really loved seeing how enthusiastically he had embraced being a big brother.

Will kissed his wife again. "You know, Michael is very easygoing, but I want to at least to clue Henry in. He's old enough to realize that something is up."

"That's for sure."

"Look—he doesn't have to know about my parents' divorce or about June, but he should know that he has a grandmother in town. And four aunts."

"I see your point." JJ said. "Let's go find him."

"Okay, but hang on a second." Will pulled JJ into an embrace. "I just want to hold you."

JJ made no objections to this. Being held in Will's arms always made her feel very safe. And on top of that, they'd been supporting each other through all kinds of crises for as long as they had been in each others' lives. Holding each other comfort was only natural.

"Dad, I—oh..."

Henry had walked in to the kitchen. It wasn't like he never saw his parents show affection to each other, but that didn't stop him from wanting to giggle.

Will pulled apart from JJ to speak to Henry. "How's it going, son?"

"I have a geography question." the boy said with a straight face.

"It isn't related to your geography _homework,_ is it?"

Henry swiftly shook his head. "Nope."

"Okay. Then let's hear it."

Henry just went for it. "What's the capital of Scotland?"

"The answer you're searching for would be Edinburgh."

Will watched Henry process this piece of information, while a crinkle appeared in his forehead. It was amusing to watch. But also startling at the same time. He'd seen Amaya make that exact same face earlier that afternoon.

"Huh." Henry finally mused. "That means I have to go redo some of my equations..."

"I hope that's good news. Do your mama and I want to know what _math_ has to do with knowing the capital of_ Scotland?"_

Henry grinned sheepishly. "It's complicated?"

"Very smooth." JJ told him. "Please come closer. Your dad wants to tell you something."

Henry looked at Will, but said nothing, waiting for him to talk.

"Remember Virginia?" Will asked him.

"Yeah!" Henry gave an eager nod. "She's _really_ cool. Zion is also pretty fun. I taught him how to say 'integer,' and he picked it right up. Like a cute little parrot."

"Actually, hearing that actually makes things a lot easier." Will said in relief. "It turns out that Virginia is my little sister."

Henry's body responded by his legs tanking out from under him.

"Woah, buddy." JJ said as she and Will sat with him on the kitchen floor. "Are you okay?"

Henry nodded as Will pulled him into a sitting position. "I'm good."

"Okay, then. What do you think about what your dad said? Are you confused?"

This time Henry shook his head. His parents had never steered him wrong before, so he'd never had a reason to doubt them. Why would they start now?

"I like it a lot. What does that make Zion?"

"Your cousin. Same for your siblings."

Henry took this in stride. "What about Aunt Emily? Where did she go?"

JJ chose her words carefully. "She's at Aunt Virginia's house because she wanted to see her and Zion tonight."

"Oh. Okay."

Will showed Henry a picture on his phone. "See them?"

Henry took the phone in hand to study the image. "Yep. Aunt Virginia is in the middle. Who's everyone else?"

"Her younger sisters." JJ pointed out each person in turn. "There's Phoenix, Lilith, and Jubilation."

"But…" Henry studied the youngest person in the picture. "Even _Jubilation?_ She looks like she's Michael's age."

"That's because she is."

Henry looked back at his father. "But then all of that means…"

"They're _my_ sisters, too." Will finished. "I have more to tell you, but are you keeping track?"

"Yes." Henry said seriously. "I've got it. What about…?"

He started mumbling names to himself and counting on his fingers.

Will was able to guess what he was thinking. "You're wondering where my mama is?"

"Mhm. You never talk about her."

"I'll be honest—it's because I couldn't remember her name. She left when I was very small."

"Oh. That's really sad." Henry offered.

JJ nodded. "Yes, but we'll tell you that story when you're a lot bigger. There's one more thing to unlock."

Henry was totally fascinated by now. This was the most interesting conversation he could ever remember having with his parents.

"What is the biggest building you see on the way out to my job?" JJ said to him. "Think hard."

Henry perked up. "It's the chocolate factory!"

"Mhm." JJ confirmed. "Your dad and I learned that _his_ mother works there."

"Oh, _please_ tell me that she makes the chocolate magma bars that I like!" these were Henry's favorite special occasion treats.

Will chuckled. "She invented them."

Henry gaped at him. "What? But I was_ joking!" _

"We're not." Will pointed to the phone. "My mama's picture is next."

Henry found it. And then did a double-take. Was this person real?

He glanced from Will, to the picture, and back again.

"But she looks _just _like you. Huh…"

The boy had gone from zero to sixty before landing back at zero again as he thought hard about his next words. _"Her hair is turquoise colored!"_

Will did everything he could not to laugh. "Yes, her hair color is definitely something that you don't normally see."

"Could _I _color _my_ hair?"

Henry's parents believed in letting their children express their creativity, so their answer was on a unified front. "Sure."

He actually pinched himself. It hurt. "Am I dreaming all of this?"

JJ shook her head. "Nope. I promise this _is_ reality."

"Then what's my new nana's name?" Henry pressed.

"Her name is _Doctor _Amaya Elle Jo Rainer."

Henry's heart skipped a beat. "She's a _doctor_ that makes _chocolate?"_

"Yes, and guess what? She has a doctorate in math."

Henry was at this point his most flabbergasted. "This really _isn't_ a dream?"

"Not a dream, Henry." JJ laughed at her son's incredulity. "Do you want to meet her?"

"Yeah!"

"We're working on making that happen. Nana Amaya _really_ wants to meet you and your brother."

This was all Henry needed, so he stood and returned the phone. "May I be excused?"

"Sure thing. Are you going to go do whatever project it was that involved Scotland?

Henry pushed his glasses into place as they slid down the bridge of his nose. "Uh-uh. I'm going to figure out what color to make my hair now."

JJ said warningly, "But don't forget what happens if you accidentally wake your brother up."

Henry heaved a heavy sigh of petulance, but kept a straight face. "It's my job to make him sleep."

"That's the gist of it." JJ made a shooing motion. "Go have fun."

Henry exited the quietly and could soon be heard going up the main stairs.

"We've raised a wonderful boy." JJ remarked. "I'm happy he's excited to meet Amaya. And that he's taken everything so well. Most kids his age would have a meltdown before even getting to the end of all that."

"Henry is a smart kid. Very mature." said Will. _"Some_ goodness is coming from the craziness that has been today."

"We need it." JJ held her arms out to him. "Please help me up?"

Will go to his feet and helped JJ to hers. "Personally, I love how adoring Henry is of Zion."

JJ nodded. "When Emily brought Zion here, he accidentally spilled the juice I poured for him. Guess what Henry's response was?"

"Did he cheer him up?"

"That's what _Michael_ did. Henry cleaned up the mess, and let Zion help him pour a new cup."

"Amazing."

_"__My_ favorite part of that whole chat with Henry is that he was most impressed with Amaya's hair being turquoise." JJ stretched hugely and laughed as the babies wiggled in response. "I'm going to go check on him."

She pointed to Will's tablet on the kitchen counter as she exited the room.

"You might want to get that."

Will checked. His heart skipped a beat.

Amaya was calling.


End file.
